


Fools

by Linsneakers



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Drabbles, Narukami Souji, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-03-19 21:09:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3624363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linsneakers/pseuds/Linsneakers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were all fools. [Drabbles]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the most recent list of drabbles I started since a 2 year hiatus. I have 11 more chapters on my fanfiction account, but I decided not to post them. You can find them here, if you'd like to read them! http://bit.ly/19p290D

**[Amber]**

“Don't.”

She looked up. She was tired. She was in pain. She wanted to go home. She didn't know where she was or how she got here.

She was standing over herself, eyes glowing a dangerous yellow.

“Don't ignore me.”

* * *

 

**[Bare]**

Kanji hummed, stepping into the bathhouse before faltering at the sight of just Souji there. A slight blush crept onto his cheeks, his humming caught in his throat. Where were Yosuke and Teddie? At least then it wouldn't be _so_ awkward.

“Oh, Kanji, when'd you get here?” He jumped at Souji's calming voice, the delicate smile on his face before he stood on his toes and peered over Kanji's shoulder. “Yosuke and Teddie aren't with you?”

Kanji scratched the back of his head, awkwardly looking off to the side. “Nah. We split up before gettin' here. Teddie got distracted by some girls and Yosuke followed to make sure he didn't get into too much trouble. Thought they were already inside when I didn't see em in the changin' rooms.”

Souji scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Knowing Yosuke, he's doing as much flirting as Teddie is. Well, I don't feel like waiting for them forever. What do you say to getting in the bath?”

Kanji felt his face heat up instantly, and he found himself continuing to look everywhere but at the older teen. He heard Souji laugh, and he twitched when Souji placed a hand on his shoulder.

“There's nothing to be concerned about, Kanji. C'mon. Who knows how long those two will be?”

“Y-Yeah, I-I-I guess... I-If you say, so, Senpai...”

Souji laughed and turned to head into the baths. Kanji stared, biting his lip before looking to the side. Souji had so many scars on his back. He saw them briefly on the camping trip. Had Yosuke noticed too? Did the girls notice? He couldn't have been the only one. They were sharp—they were loud.

“Whaaaat?! Sensei, how cruel! You entered the bath without me?!”

“Sorry, Teddie, I was just so _beary_ tired of waiting.”

“Hey! That's my saying, Sensei, no fair!”

Teddie rushed past and jumped into the bath, Souji laughing as Teddie screamed at how hot it was. Yosuke sighed as he stood next to Kanji, muttering 'stupid bear' under his breath.

Kanji gulped, leaning over and whispering, “H-Hey, Yosuke-Senpai, uh... have you... noti--”

“The scars?”

“...Yeah.”

Yosuke sighed and glanced at Souji, before looking back at the younger teen. “I won't ask unless he brings it up. You should do the same.”

“O-Of course I will! I've been 'doing the same' since I saw them at the camping trip.” Kanji huffed, eyeing Souji. “I just... we never saw him get his Persona, right? But he saw all of us... and... he saw it all. It just feels like...”

“Like we don't know anything about him, right?” Kanji nodded at Yosuke's interruption. The brunette shrugged. “He helped save us. I wouldn't be surprised if he saved himself. I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe he'll tell us o--”

“Yosuke! Kanji! What are you two doing? Sensei and I are beary lonely in here by ourselves!”

* * *

 

**[Cat]**

Dojima groaned in exasperation, cracking his neck as he walked the road to his house, cigarette perched lightly in his lips. First, Adachi was missing nearly the entire day. Then, on the way home, his car broke down and he couldn't get a lift back home. What a shitty, shitty day.

He threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out with his heel as he rounded the corner to home. He paused in his tracks at the sight of his nephew with around ten cats meowing at his feet.

“Souji, I, wh--” He squinted in confusion as he walked closer, the moonlight illuminating the scene to be oddly radiant. He stammered with confused words before finally settling on, “What's with all the cats?”

Souji stared, face blank of any emotion as he simple stated, “I am the Cat King.”

* * *

 

**[Dye]**

“Sooo....” Chie started, cheeky grin embellishing her face as she bit into a french fry.

Yosuke cocked an eyebrow, taking a drink of his soda as the others started to sit down at the table. “Soo.... what?”

“I heard that's not your natural hair colour.” she snickered, shoving a handful of fries into her mouth.

Yosuke glared, face glowing red. “W-W-Who told you that?! A-A-And what does it matter anyway?! I mean, look at Kanji! No way that hair is natural!”

“Hey, don't bring me into this! 'Sides, w-what about Naoto?!”

“Wh—Kanji-kun, don't bring _me_ into this!”

* * *

 

**[Escape]**

“NO!”

Yosuke recoiled, shaken at Souji's sudden outburst. The teen was sitting on the floor, hugging his knees close to his chest.

“Partner?” he questioned, stepping closer as the others murmured in concern and confusion. “Hey, you okay, man?”

What Adachi had said before leaving... it was cruel. Sadistic. Villainous in every sense of the word. He hadn't expected it to faze Souji so much—he hadn't moved a muscle the entire conversation—for him to suddenly break down was... shocking.

“Hey, hey, c'mon, Souji, let's get outta here.” He tried to reach a hand out, only for it to be swatted away.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

Yosuke's heart dropped, watching helplessly as their leader scrambled to the corner of the room, clutching his hair so tightly in his hands as he cried into his knees. Yosuke turned to the others, Chie solemnly shrugging and shaking her head, unsure of what to do.

Kanji scratched the back of his neck, coughing lightly before he spoke, “H-Hey, Senpai? Uh... if you want, w-we can get outta here and I can show you more knitting stuff... we can try to make a cat toy like you wanted...”

The atmosphere hung thick in the air, intensified by Souji's choking sobs. Yosuke turned back to the group, everyone shifting around uncomfortably, trying to think of something to say. This was new. Souji had always been the calm one, the collected one, the one with the answers.

The squeaking of Teddie's shoes broke the silence as he headed towards Souji. Yosuke held his breath, hands clenching into fists. Souji didn't react to the bear getting closer.

“Sensei, I'm sure you're not what Adachi said. No, I _know_ you're not what Adachi said. You're my Sensei, you're nothing l--”

“Teddie, get away from him!” Rise suddenly interjected, crying.

The bear turned around, ears twitching in confusion. Yosuke's eyes widened as electricity emitted from behind Souji, growing stronger as Izanagi formed behind him.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The room was suddenly covered in electricity—the strikes bouncing off the walls, off the floors. The teenagers screamed in pain and agony, Naoto hollering at everybody to retreat. Yosuke quickly fell to his knees, cradling his arms as the electricity ripped through him. He could feel it ripping and surging through Jiraiya as well.

“Shit, come on!” he heard Kanji holler past the currents buzzing in his ears, before he was suddenly grabbed by the teen's arms and dragged away. He squinted past the bright, hot flashes of Izanagi's attacks, watching as Souji looked up before darting away in the direction Adachi fled to.

Then he was outside and Naoto slammed the door shut.

* * *

 

**[Fall]**

“No! I don't wanna fall” Nanako cried, clutching onto the tree as hard as she could.

“Nanako, you gotta trust me!” Souji called up after, arms outstretched. “I'll catch you, okay? You don't wanna be stuck up there all day, do you?”

“N-No...” She sniffled, looking down at her cousin. “Big B-Bro, I'm scared...”

“I know, Nanako.” He smiled. “It'll be okay. How would you like getting some ice cream at Junes?”

“R-Really?”

“As many scoops as you like, okay? You have to jump though, you have to trust me. Do you trust me?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Okay, good. That's good. Deep breaths, okay, Nanako? Breathe in... and breathe out... In and out... There you go. Now, let go of the tree and sit on the edge of the branch,” he instructed, reassuring smile never leaving his face as she slowly complied. He could still see that her arms were shaking.

“On the count of three, you jump, okay? I won't let you fall.”

Nanako nodded meekly, shifting awkwardly on the branch as Souji stepped closer with his outstretched arms.

“One... two... three!”

The girl jumped, Souji grabbing and hugging her tightly in his arms as he lost balance and toppled onto his back. Nanako squeaked in terror.

“A-Are you okay, Big Bro?” she asked, lip quivering.

Souji laughed, ruffling her hair as he sat up. “I'm fine. Are you okay?”

She nodded, smile falling on her lips as she wiped away the stray tears.

* * *

 

**[Grab]**

He attacked his friends. He yelled at and attacked his friends. They were only trying to help and he hurt them. His head pounded, tears overflowing as he ran through the barren wasteland of Adachi's world in the TV. He tripped over a heavy gap in the floor, wailing as he landed on the floor in a giant heap. He was nothing but a mess. He was pathetic.

He was everything Adachi had said.

“Aw, I was right. How cute.” Speak of the devil.

Souji could hear Adachi's laughter, the skip in his step as he got closer to the teen. Souji made no efforts to move; his body felt like lead, weighed down by emotional turmoil. He shut his eyes tightly when the man kicked dirt in his face, scrunching himself into a ball, trying to ease the pain.

“Oh, sorry, did I kick that in your face?” the detective laughed, and Souji could feel him kneel close to him.

He didn't resist when the detective grabbed his shoulders and forced him into a sitting position. He opened his eyes, blinking away the tears and the stinging pain and looked at the out-of focus image of the man before him. Crooked grin, crooked tie, messy hair, lying eyes.

“You know what you are.”

Souji inhaled sharply, the sentence stabbing through him like fire. He bit his tongue and lowered his gaze. He shakily lifted his hands to hold onto Adachi's, which had remained on his shoulders. He pushed his head into Adachi's chest and stared blankly at the ground, words falling numb out of his mouth.

“I know.”

* * *

 

**[Hello]**

“Introduce yourself.”

Souji winced at the tone of Mr. Morooka's voice, body tense as he scanned the faces of his new classmates for a year, scanned the faces of people he'd have to avoid, scanned the faces of the people he'd push away and ignore. He moved too much. Nobody stayed in contact with him after a couple of months. This place would be no different.

There was no point.

He stayed quiet.

* * *

 

**[Introduction]**

“I'm Chie Satonaka, and this is Yukiko Amagi!”

The girl who sat next to him bellowed at the last bell of the day. He glanced over, eyeing the girl and her friend as they packed their bags.

The brunette continued, “So, you didn't really... say your name up there. I don't wanna be calling you 'new kid' forever. So, what's your name?”

She turned her head, brown eyes gleaming in curiosity and wonder. He looked back blankly, before looking to his books as he stuffed them into his bag.

He could hear Chie sigh, “Hey! I know I might come on a little strong, but I'm really nice once you get to know me! No need to be so shy, I just want to know your name. We _are_ gonna be classmates for a year, after all! Who knows, maybe we'll even be friends?”

Souji sighed and bowed his head. He roughly pushed himself out of his chair and threw his bag onto his back.

“My name is Souji Narukami. I'm only here for a year. Don't get used to me.”

He didn't give the girl a chance to respond before he walked out of the room.

* * *

 

**[Jokes]**

“Oh, come on! That was hilarious!” Teddie huffed, crossing his arms and scowling.

“Not really, man,” Yosuke grumbled as Chie rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, seriously,” she scoffed, flicking a crumb of food at Yosuke's nose. “Yosuke's jokes are terrible, but even they're better than that was.”

Yosuke glared. “Hey! My jokes are hilarious!”

“No, they aren't,” Yukiko stated bluntly as she flipped to the next page in her math book. “Chie, what'd you get for question number seven?”

“What?! You're already there?! Aw, man, I'm only on question number two...”

“Jokes on all of you.” Souji smiled as everyone looked to him, the leader closing his book triumphantly.

Yosuke stared on in horror. “Y-Y-You're already done?!”

Souji glanced at him, eyes sparkling with delight. “I've been done for forty minutes.”

He laughed while Yosuke and Chie cried into their books.

* * *

 

**[Listen]**

“What are we going to do?!” Rise sobbed, wiping her eyes furiously with her sleeves. “S-S-Senpai was... he was...”

“Calm down, Rise,” Naoto said, placing a hand on the idol's shoulder. “He was scared. Panicked. Adachi's words affected him greatly, but-”

“No! Y-You don't understand! You didn't see what I did! I-I-I don't know h-how to explain it! I... But it wasn't... _He_ wasn't... I-I...”

“And now Sensei's stuck in there with Adachi-baby alone!!” Teddie cried, holding his paws over his ears. “We have to go back and help him!!”

Chie chewed on the inside of her cheek, hand stuffed into the pockets of her jacket. “Well, yeah, but... he attacked us... and it sounds like Rise's saying he might do it again... So maybe-”

“Are you just saying we leave him?!” Kanji hollered, stamping his foot on the ground. “Fuck that!! He's our leader! We can't just leave him there! I'm going back in to save him right now!”

“Kanji-kun, no!”

“Don't try to stop me, Naoto!”

“I wasn't saying to leave him, Kanji-kun!” Chie yelled back as she ran in front of Kanji, blocking him. “I was saying, before you cut me off, that maybe we should go back and rest up. Prepare! You know, what he always made _us_ do when we knew there was a big threat. He might try to attack us again, and...”

Yosuke watched the girl trail off, tears rising in her eyes. His lip quivered at the unfinished sentence. Curling his fingers into tight fists, he grit his teeth before finishing her thought.

“We might have to fight him.”

Yukiko gasped from behind him, “Yosuke-kun, you can't be serious!”

“No!” Rise cried, falling to floor as she sobbed into her hands. “I-I don't w-want us to f-fight! I d-don't want t-t-to f-fight Senpai!”

“None of us do, Rise-chan,” Naoto sighed, tipping her cap as she sat next to the idol, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “But Yosuke's right. We may have to fight him. Or, perhaps, we may have to fight his Shadow. As it stands, we should listen to Chie's suggestion. We go home, we get rest, and we... prepare.”

“But what if Adachi gets to him?!” Kanji swirled around on his feet to stare down at the detective. Tears were in his eyes as well. “What if we're too fucking late because we left him there?! What if he's strung up on some fucking building tomorrow morning?! What if-”

“We have no choice, Kanji-kun!” the detective raised her voice, glaring up at Kanji, who fumbled in surprise at the reaction. “Do you think I want to do this, to just _leave_ him there?! With a murderer?! I want to do everything _but_ that, but as it stands, we have no choice!”

A heavy air filled the area, the group all but silent except for the hiccups and cries from Rise. Yosuke clenched his teeth, tossing his weapons to the floor before sitting down harshly, gripping his head in his hands. He wished Souji was here. He'd... know what to do...

* * *

 

**[Maze]**

“Big Bro, what's that on your back?”

Souji looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary... He stretched his arms at awkward angles, trying to see if something was stuck to his shirt. Nothing he could feel... He strained himself trying to reach he ended up spinning himself into a circle. He paused, blinking as Nanako laughed.

“It's not on your shirt, Big Bro! It's on your back!”

Not on his shirt? On his... oh. Those. She must have saw them when he stretched. This shirt was a bit small.

“Those are just... injuries. Old injuries,” he explained, kneeling down to her level. Her laughter and smile disappeared, face immediately flooded with worry.

“D-Do they hurt? D-Did a bad guy hurt you?” her voice quivered. “Daddy's a cop. He can catch the bad guy.”

Souji smiled softly and shook his head, lightly holding onto his cousins arms. “They don't hurt, Nanako. Not anymore. The bad guy's been taken care of. It's okay. _I'm_ okay.”

He heard his voice quip on the last words. He knew what Kanji and Yosuke had been muttering about at the baths. He knew they discussed it with the others sometimes—the way they would suddenly hush and try to quickly change the conversation when he got close to the table of their “headquarters”. The forced laugh from Yosuke, the loudness from Chie as she tried to think of something new to say, Kanji's averted gaze, and Naoto's cap tilted over her eyes. He would pretend not to notice. He didn't want them to worry, but he didn't want to explain. He didn't want to relive it.

Maybe now was a time to start.

“Do... do you want to see them?” his voice was so soft, so quiet, even to himself. Nanako looked at him with her innocent eyes. She looked to the floor, humming for a moment, and then looked at him again.

“Okay.”

Souji nodded and raised his shirt up and over his head, turning around and sitting as he could feel Nanako standing behind him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clutching his shirt tightly in his fingers as the air snaked down his skin. His body involuntarily tensed as he felt Nanako poke his back lightly with her finger.

“It looks like one of those games in the newspaper. The maze things!” She started to drag her finger along his back, the teen biting his lip.

“Nanako,” his voice cracked as he spoke, body trembling. “I'm sorry, but... please... don't do that.”

Her finger was gone, and she was sitting in front of him in an instant. Tears welled up in her eyes and she grabbed onto his hand with hers, gripping tightly.

“D-D-Did I hurt you?!”

“No, but... I thought... I could get out of the maze but... I guess I'm stuck in it.” He paused, the expression on his cousin's face clear that she didn't understand. He slowly placed his other hand over hers and squeezed.

“But I'm okay.”

His voice quivered with his smile.

* * *

 

**[Noise]**

The station was always filled with noise. Cops laughing in one corner, cops talking in the other, cops yelling on the phone, and cops shuffling papers and walking around.

Adachi rubbed his temples as he leafed through the files of papers on his desk. He was just adding to it. He was just adding to the gnawing headache that had persisted for two days.

“You look like shit, Adachi,” Dojima commented, placing a mug and a bottle of pills onto his desk.

“Feel like it.” Adachi glanced at him, squinting tiredly as he grabbed the bottle and examined it.

“For the headache. Take two. They ain't very strong.”

A smile fell on his lips. “Thanks, Dojima-san.”

* * *

 

**[Open]**

“Nanako, why is the door open?!”

“It's for the cats, Daddy!”

Dojima peered into the room quizzically. “Cats?”

There was around thirty cats surrounding Souji in the middle of the kitchen. He looked at Dojima blankly.

“Cat King.”

* * *

 

**[Persistent]**

“So, what are you doing after class?” Chie whispered as Morooka continued with his talk. “Yukiko and I were going to Junes and we were wondering if you would w-”

“Satonaka, Narukami, you are disrupting the class with your flirting! See me at lunch!”

Chie squeaked and slid down in her seat, Souji shooting her a glare as he slammed his pen down on his book. She looked at him apologetically, mouthing 'sorry' as she sunk further down her chair. She could hear Yosuke snickering behind her. She'd have to remember to kick him later.

* * *

 

**[Quite]**

“Adachi-san, you have to help me!”

Adachi jumped, whipping around as Souji ran up up to him, breathless and pale-faced. “W-What's wrong, Souji-kun?! What do you need?”

Souji lifted a finger, coughing as he rested his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. When his breathing calmed after a moment, he straightened up and cleared his throat.

“Do you think I'd look sexier in a nice dark red or a nice dark purple?”

The detective faltered, absentmindedly fiddling with his tie as he squinted in confusion. “Um... a dark... red?”

Souji pursed his lips and rested a fist to his chin in thought, staring off into the distance. He nodded and hummed to himself, before finally giving a definitive nod.

“Quite,” he said simply, before running off. “Thanks, Adachi-san!”

* * *

 

**[Rare]**

“You know, you're one of a kind, Souji.” Adachi sneered, before it turned into a wicked grin. “Too bad your Izanagi isn't.”

* * *

 

**[Suffer]**

“It... was my mom.”

“Your _mom_ did this to you?!”

Souji breathed in deeply, tilting his head back as he closed his eyes. “Yeah... after my dad left. Cheated. He left a note, saying he couldn't keep up with her illness anymore, saying he needed someone 'normal'. She... stopped taking her pills. I tried. I tried so hard to get her to take them. She knew when I would put them in her drinks or in her food, so she wouldn't eat. I couldn't force her to, so I stopped trying to give her the pills.”

“Senpai...”

“Shit, man, that's... That's rough...”

He took another breath. His chest felt heavy, and his arms and legs felt numb. His voice shook as she spoke, “I didn't want her to hurt herself, so I asked her to... to hurt me instead. She would always refuse. We would always fight and scream and cry. I didn't want this, she didn't want this, we didn't _want_ this, but we couldn't stop it. Eventually, I managed to convince her.”

He paused, dry lump in the back of his throat as his hands curled into tight fists. He lowered his head, hot tears sliding down his face as his voice cracked.

“Either she hurt me, or I hurt myself.”

* * *

 

**[Weapon]**

“They're here,” Adachi quipped, shoving the teen with his heel. “You know what to do.”

Soundlessly, Souji left the detective’s side and wandered into the maze of Magatsu Inaba. His movements were sluggish, his legs dragging as the long-sword dug into the ground the entire way. He couldn't hear anything past his distant footsteps. This world was empty; this world was dead.

“Senpai! Senpai, can you hear me?! We're coming to get you, don't worry!”

Rise's voice suddenly echoed in his mind. His lips pursed and he continued his walk. He said nothing. She called out to him again, trying to urge a response. He couldn't say anything. Wouldn't say anything. She went silent after another attempt.

The black and red sky spiraled around, disorienting those who stared too long and lighting the scenery with an ominous glow. Twisted and mangled stop signs littered the roads, destroyed and decrepit buildings tossed around carelessly. Police tape was ripped and shredded. The ground was cracked, caving, contorted. The shadows ignored him as he stalked past, the silhouettes sometimes vaguely resembling people until he got close to see them for what they actually were.

“There he is! Sensei! Sensei!!”

He turned his head to look down a long stretch, his friends running towards him.

“Wait, no, stop! Something isn't right!” Rise hollered, grabbing Kanji's sleeve as she skidded herself to a stop.

“Holy shit, what happened to his arm?!”

“Souji-kun, are you all right?!”

He remained quiet. His steps were heavy as he advanced, the long-sword that had been fused to his arm dragging behind him. Their faces were petrified, their bodies trembling.

“W-We have to leave! Th-This isn't Senpai! This isn't right!” Rise screeched, tears streaking down her face. The group nodded absentmindedly, some more hesitant than others as they turned to run. Souji grunted, effortlessly lifting his weaponized arm and slamming it into nearby debris.

His friends screamed as the area opened from a long stretch of road to a field, closed off from the rest of Magatsu Inaba.

“W-What the hell?!”

“The exit's gone! H-He got rid of the exit!!”

Yosuke turned to look at him, face pale and expression tinted with a hint that he was close to throwing up. The brunette stared him up and down, shaking his head furiously.

“I can't do it! I won't do it! C'mon, partner, you can snap out of this! What Adachi said wasn't true! You're not... You're not some kind of tool! You're not some kind of killing machine! You're not! You're just not!”

Souji cocked his head to the side and lowered his arm, the sword crashing to the ground with a bang. He curled his tongue around his teeth and took another heavy step forward. The group twitched, their weapons in hand, but not brandished for a fight.

He felt himself crying, but he couldn't stop. It was too late. It was too late...

“Izanagi.”

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**[After]**

“...What now?”

Souji turned his head, eyeing Yosuke wearily.

“What do you mean?”

The brunette sighed, clasping his hands together behind his head. “I mean, what now? What happens next? Where do we go from... here, y'know?”

Souji shrugged. “College?”

“That is not what I meant and you know it, man.”

* * *

**[Blind]**

The realization crushed him when he found Adachi strolling the hallways nonchalantly. He seemed rational—calm and collected. Furious tears fell down his face as he stalked the detective through the hospital.

“Oh, Souji-kun, I didn't see you there! H-How are you holding up?” he questioned, sympathy and concern etched onto his face.

Souji batted away the hand he'd placed on his shoulder, face straining in pain as he glared at the older man.

“It was you.”

Adachi lifted his head, looking at the teen perplexed. “W-What?”

“You did it,” he hissed, stepping closer to the detective until he backed him against a wall. “It was you. Everything was you. You started it and now Nanako's... Nanako's DEAD because of you!”

Adachi's face fell into an emotionless gaze, a slight tilt to his head as he stared the teen down. “I don't know what you're talking about. This was all Namatame's doing.”

They didn't move. Not a twitch, not a flinch, the men just glared at the other. Souji's heart was beating rapidly, his head pounding in his temples. He was starting to see black dots past the tears. He watched as a tiny smile curled onto the detective's lips.

“But it's okay, I forgive you, Souji-kun. You're not in your right mind right now,” he said, voice soft and smooth. “Let's go find Dojima-san. You two could use each other as support right now.”

* * *

**[Clean]**

“Narukami-kun, please, stop!”

“Sensei!!”

“You're going overboard, Senpai! You're gonna hurt yourself!”

“I'm fine, guys,” he mumbled. “I'm just fine.”

“Hey, guys, what's—what's going on?” Yosuke questioned, watching as Souji scrubbed the floor intensely, paper towels piled up beside him.

“He's trying to clean that stain that's been there since May,” Yukiko explained, eyebrows stitched together in concern. “He's been at it for three hours.”

Yosuke looked at her incredulously. “Th-Three hours?!” he hollered, before stomping over and grabbing Souji from his underarms. “Dude, it's not gonna come out! We tried!”

Souji flailed in Yosuke's grasp. “Noo! It must be gone! I must get rid of it! It's been bothering me all year!”

“Kanji, don't just stand there, help me out!!”

* * *

**[Don't]**

The train could be heard in the distance, and the platform suddenly went silent. Souji glanced around, watching his friends and family fidget awkwardly as they stared down the tracks, watching the silhouette of the train grow in size.

His lip quivered and his grip tightened on his bags as everyone seemed to slowly turn to look at him. The train was almost to the platform. He was about to take a step forward when he was suddenly hugged from behind, arms enclosed around his chest.

“Don't go...”

“Ayane...” he mumbled, dropping one his bags to grip onto her hand.

The train screeched to a halt, and the girl just gripped on tighter. He tilted to the side when Nanako came running up, crying and gripping onto him as well.

“Don't go, Big Bro!!”

His eyes were watering. “Nanako...”

Suddenly he was bombarded—his friends sobbing and telling him to stay as they surrounded and carried him into a hug. His hand gripped tighter on Ayane's, and he placed his head on the nearest shoulder—Chie's—and cried.

* * *

**[Exist]**

“Adachi-san,” his voice cut through the silence like an anvil, raspy and worn as his throat burned with every word. “Adachi-san, why are you here?”

The detective jeered, pushing himself off the ground as he stalked over to the teen. Past the grievous wounds and his harsh breathing, Adachi stood in front of Souji, eyeing him down. They didn't move, didn't twitch, didn't flinch. Souji could feel the blood pouring from the wound in his temple, the heat radiating off his flushed face as he tried to regain his breath. His legs trembled beneath him as the detective stared, but the older man was weak, too. A deep cut ran from his forehead to his left cheek, his breaths wavering and his form trembling.

“Adachi-san,” he repeated, swallowing as his voice cracked. “Why are you here?”

Adachi sneered as he tilted his head to the side, baring his teeth but not saying a word.

“If you hate life so much, then why are you here?”

His voice shot through the atmosphere like a bullet, but Adachi didn't even flinch. It took a moment before the detective's shoulders and head slumped, Souji's eyes widening as he heard a low laughter emit from the older man. It didn't take long before it erupted into a full blown laugh, the man raising his head so fast that some of his blood splattered onto Souji's face. The teen took a step back in surprise, unprepared for Adachi kicking his foot out from underneath him.

Souji hit the ground fast and hard, the air escaping through his cracked and aching chest. He coughed and clutched his sides, trying to remember how to breathe as the pain convulsed through his system. A scream ripped out of his throat when Adachi stomped onto his knee. He could feel the bone ripping through the skin, the blood seeping hot as it pooled down his leg. He stared up at the night sky, tears falling hot down his face as muted whimpers fell in the back of his throat.

Adachi stood over him, eyes gleaming.

“I can ask the same to you.”

* * *

**[Fight]**

“H-Hey, Senpai, I know it's kinda not my place to ask, but...” Kanji bit his lip and furrowed his brow. “Is everything okay between you and Yosuke-Senpai? Did you two get into an argument?”

Souji stirred the noodles in his bowl dejectedly, eyes distant and lips pursed into a tight line. Kanji scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, taking a giant slurp out of his own ramen before glancing back at the other teen.

“He wouldn't let me clean up the spot.”

Kanji almost choked on his meal, pounding a fist to his chest as he coughed in pain, he looked to Souji warily.

“The one you spent three hours tryin' to clean the other day?! You're still upset over that?!”

Souji picked up his bowl and slammed it down on the table, causing Kanji and the other patrons to jump and stare.

“It's been bothering me since it's been there, Kanji!” Souji wailed, dramatically placing his head on the counter. “I just want it goooooone.”

* * *

**[Galaxy]**

“Whoa...”

“This is... Senpai's...?”

“A-A-Are we gonna fall if we go in?”

Chie hummed quietly, squinting past the entrance of Souji's labyrinth in the TV world. She peered in the doorway, Yukiko ushering to be careful. Her face fell in awe at the sight before her—galaxies and stars spread out as far as the eye could see, the “room” encompassed in various lights that shone like dust. She took a deep breath. There was no distinctive pathway, but Souji was their leader—their friend—and they weren't giving up here before they even started!

Chie raised a hesitant foot, seeming to hover over nothing but an abyss of space for her to fall into. She set it down lightly, gasping and blocking her eyes as a sudden light shone. She heard the others murmur in awe and she slowly opened her eyes, watching as colours danced before her, silhouettes of doves and crows swirling around the room, pathways and bridges forming under their trajectories in bright and and mesmerizing lights.

The group stepped onto the pathways, Chie dragging her hand across the railings in curiosity. The light trailed and followed her touch, floating off in specs of stardust when she lifted her fingers.

* * *

**[Here]**

“B...ig Br...o...?”

He quickly grasped his cousin's small hand in his. He was trembling, crying uncontrollably as he looked at her pale and distant expression. His body jumped from the deep and sudden breaths he would take between his crying.

“I-I'm here, N-Nanako...” he managed to say, voice breaking and head pounding as his cousin's little fingers weakly wrapped around his.

“D...add...y?”

“H-He'll be here, Nanako... H-He'll be... here...”

“Da...d...dy...”

Souji turned to the door, expecting his uncle to come rushing into the room. He looked to the nurse, who shook her head, silently wiping her eye with her palm. He turned back to Nanako, the girl's eyes shut and her fragile body writhing in pain as she whimpered and cried for her dad.

“I-I'm here, Nanako... I... I...”

He gripped so tight onto her hand, but he was so scared. He placed his forehead down, hair brushing the tips of her fingers. His crying was unbearable, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't see. His heart lurched in his chest.

His blood ran cold at the sound of a monotone beep.

* * *

**[Irate]**

“Hey!” Souji grasped as his pocket, eyeing the hooded figure that had bumped into him. The figure immediately sprinted at his call, Souji gritting his teeth as he gave chase. Yosuke and Teddie called after him, but he didn't hear. His focus was on the guy that stole his wallet.

Dashing through the empty streets, Souji brushed his hair out of his eyes as the rain drenched his clothes and seeped into the soles of his shoes. The hooded figure quickly rounded a corner, Souji slipping as his feet slid out from under him. He fell to the sidewalk harshly, face skidding along the concrete and arm pulsing in pain and heat. Seething, he pulled himself up, holding onto his injured arm as he continued his pursuit. He could still see the thief up the road.

He ignored the flashing stars that danced across his vision, ignored the burning in his arm and cheek, ignored the rain pouring down faster. He was catching up again, until the thief darted across the street. Souji was about to follow before a horn blared. He back-pedaled in terror, tripping over his feet and crashing to the ground again as he heard the car skid along the road. He wailed, gripping his arm tightly as pain exploded throughout it.

He heard a car door slam.

“Shit, Souji, what the hell were you thinking?!” He winced and rolled over to see his uncle kneeling by his side, disapproval written all over his face. “You could have been killed!”

He let Dojima help him into a sitting position, the teen breathing harshly, watching his breath come out in smoke as the rain continued to pelt him.

“Someone took my wallet,” he explained simply, before recoiling and hissing as Dojima touched his arm.

“Then you call me and let me deal with it.” Dojima glared, shaking his head. “What if he had a gun, Souji?! A knife?! Did you even think about that?!”

“I was just—”

Dojima snapped, “I don't CARE! Souji, what you did was reckless! You've already hurt yourself, and I could have run you over! Didn't you think about what you were doing?!”

The teen bit his lip, avoiding his uncle's gaze. The adrenaline sharply pooled out of his system and he could feel his stomach twisting in knots. He tried to swallow the feeling of nausea away as his body trembled from the rain and realization that he could have died.

“I-I-I'm s-sorry, Uncle...” he whispered, voice cracking as tears flared in his eyes.

The detective sighed and pulled the teen's head to his chest, holding him there in a light hug.

* * *

**[Jab]**

Souji looked up from his test after he felt a poke to his shoulder. He peered behind him, watching Yosuke try to discreetly ask for an answer to a question Souji had long passed.

Souji cocked an eyebrow before turning back to his exam, not even flinching when he heard the brunette smack his head onto the desk in utter defeat.

* * *

**[Kill]**

He sat on the edge of the bed, licking his teeth as he looked at all the ripped posters plastered along the walls. He crossed one leg over the other, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand as he tapped his gun lazily across the heel of his shoe. What a stupid, foolish bitch.

His eyes flickered as footsteps approached, a scowl crossing his features as Souji entered the room. He was alone. He hadn't even brought his weapon. What a stupid, foolish brat.

Adachi lifted himself off the bed leisurely, shoulders hunched nonchalantly as he sized up the teenager who walked up to him without a word. Souji's hand moved, slowly and purposefully. Adachi followed his hand as it grabbed onto the barrel of the gun. His arm moved as Souji brought the gun up, pointing it at himself—at his heart.

A short scoff fell out of Adachi's lips, small smirk falling into place as he eyed the teen in amusement. Souji's face gave off no tell. Adachi suddenly jerked the gun down, ripping it out of Souji's light grasp. The teen flicked his wrist, discomfort evident on his features this time.

“It's no fun if you _ask_ for it.”

* * *

**[Lazy]**

“S-So um...” Ayane kicked her legs nervously, feet flicking sand as she did so. “W-What do you want to do now?”

Souji tilted his head and puckered his lips in thought, watching as the ocean waves rolled onto the beach. He contemplated for a moment before he turned to Ayane, bright smile on his face.

“Let's do nothing.”

The girl squeaked in confusion, “N-Nothing? I-Isn't that lazy?”

He chuckled, adjusting himself to rest his head on her shoulder, “Sometimes lazy is nice.”

* * *

**[Money]**

“Adachi-san!”

The detective turned at the call of his name, only to be immediately pelted by a giant wad of cash smacking him in the nose.

* * *

**[Nothing]**

“I am nothing like you!” Souji yelled, grimacing and falling back to the ground as he tried to move, only for his broken knee to shatter and scatter pain throughout his nerves. His teeth chattered where he lay on the grass, nausea and dizziness twisting his being into knots.

“Then how come we're the same?!” Adachi yelled back, swiftly kicking the teen in the face before collapsing over him. Souji screamed as the detective's weight crushed onto his broken leg, red and stars clouding his sight.

He couldn't tell if he was breathing. He couldn't feel anything, not even Adachi gripping onto his hair and turning his head so he was staring at the man.

“You're everything like me,” Adachi seethed, blood falling off his nose and dripping onto Souji's face. He gripped the teen's hair even harder, picking up and slamming his head into the ground.

Souji gasped in shock, coughing up the bile that forced it's way up his throat. Adachi glared down at him in disgust and threw the teens head to the side, who continued to vomit and cough profusely. The teen gagged, struggling to shift himself to the side and prop himself up with his elbows. Adachi was still weighing him down.

“Why are you here?!” Adachi screamed, Souji glancing at the man from the corner of his blurry vision. He was seeing triples.

“Answer me!!”

He didn't get a chance before Adachi slammed his fist into his cheek. The teen felt his head rattle from the impact, his mouth gaping open as he stared ahead. The world around him was vacant. He wasn't part of it anymore.

* * *

**[Orbit]**

“Careful, guys, I sense an extremely powerful Shadow ahead,” Rise cautioned, tip-toeing behind Naoto as they traversed Souji's labyrinth.

“I know this is weird, but hasn't this place seemed a but... too quiet?” Kanji questioned, frowning as they started walking up a spiral staircase. Each step illuminated with their steps, stardust filtering through the air.

“Like... this is the first time Rise's sensed any Shadows, yeah? And didn't most of our places, didn't our Shadows talk? Loud enough for everyone to hear?”

Yosuke groaned in exasperation, “Thanks for making me remember what your Shadow said, Kanji.”

“H-Hey!”

Chie held her fist to her chin in thought, tilting her head. “Kanji-kun makes a good point, though.”

“I-I do?”

“Yeah!” she chimed, grin on her face as she looked back at the tall teen. “Because... well... does it even make sense for Souji to even have a Shadow? I mean... he already has Izanagi, right? Maybe the Shadows Rise are sensing are just stray ones that have nothing to do with this pla—oof! Hey, Yosuke, don't just stop so suddenly, I—I...”

Chie trailed off, following Yosuke's distant stare before looking on in disbelief herself. Up the stairwell, the steps faded from shining white into distorted purples and reds, pieces cracked and suspended in the air. The stairs continued to contort, twisting and bending the further along they got. They could see at the end, a frozen supernova. The stars in the distance had twinkled and the light stardust when they moved had brought the teens comfort, but up there, it felt as if they were looking at frozen time. The galaxies behind it, the stars, they didn't shine.

It was an explosion, a disarray and abundance of colour, but it only brought unease and worry.

“H-He's in there... and so is the Shadow...” Rise mumbled through the unsettled quiet. “It's weird... I don't feel any movement... from Senpai or the Shadow.”

Yosuke looked at Chie, both of them sharing a despondent glance, their hearts caught in their throats as they took heavy steps up the stairs.

* * *

**[Power]**

Souji walked onto the stage, head held high as he stood as tall as he could next to Kanji. The spotlight struck onto him, and he calmly held the bamboo sword over his shoulder, brushing the braid of the wig behind his ear and smiling.

He could rule the world like this.

“Dude, tone it down, you're freaking me out. It looks like you _want_ to be in a dress.”

* * *

**[Quirk]**

“Adachi-san!! Adachi-saaaaaan!!”

Adachi turned at the call of his name, only to screech and duck as a boxed lunch was thrown at him. He regained composure when he heard the box hit the ground and stared incredulously at Souji across the way.

“STOP DOING THAT!”

He could see the teenager pout.

* * *

**[Run]**

Souji fidgeted in the car seat, fumbling with the make-shift sling Dojima had made from his uniform. The man stared at him from the corner of his eye before diverting his attention back to the road.

“Stop.”

“Sorry.”

“The cast is going to be even more annoying. It's gonna itch like hell.” Dojima smirked. “You're gonna hate it.”

“I already hate this...” Souji mumbled. “What am I gonna do for basketball? Music? How am I gonna do school work?”

“Should have thought about that before you went chasing after a thief.”

The teen slammed his head into the headrest, whining, “He took my wallet, Uncle!”

“I know. That doesn't mean you should have gone after him. As far as I know, you don't know how to defend yourself if someone pulls a weapon on you. What would you have done?”

“...Run away?”

“And break your other arm? Dash back into traffic?”

Souji sighed and closed his eyes. “Point taken.”

Dojima grunted in affirmation, their conversation ending as the rain fell against the window. The teen shifted uncomfortably, absentmindedly tugging on the make-shift sling.

“Stop.”

* * *

**[Sojourn]**

They had jumped hesitantly into the supernova, finding everything was solid. They walked on distorted, uneven, and disheveled colours of frozen matter. Every time they took a step on new ground, light musical notes would play. They clambered and tripped, unsure of where to go or how to get there. Rise couldn't get a clear signal; the world around her was echoing in her skull. Kanji ran off ahead, only to find himself above the others, upside down.

They climbed and used their Personas for long leaps. They fell and tripped and got turned around until they couldn't see where they had started anymore.

A sharp gasp from Rise had everyone turn to her. Her eyes were wide and her knees knocked together. She looked at the group before glancing to her feet.

“He's under us.”

Kanji jumped before he knelt to the ground, gripping onto the edge and peering over the side.

“I see him!”

Everyone followed suit, resting on their stomachs and dragging themselves to the edge and peering over. From their angle, Souji was upside down, surroundings nothing but white. The teen was floating, hugging himself tightly , facing away from a Shadow that lurked in front; a being of both Souji and Izanagi combined. The Shadow was composed, directing it's weapon at the teen.

“They're not moving,” Teddie whispered.

“It's kinda freaking me out.” Chie shivered, before silently dragging herself over and around the edge.

Yukiko's eyes widened as the girl tried to flip over the edge, “Chie, be careful!”

“I'll be fine. Besides, how else are we supposed to get over the--” the girl cut herself short with a scream, her body suddenly being thrown back. Yosuke jumped up and grabbed her hand before she shot off into the abyss behind them.

“I-If you let go, I'll kill you!” she screeched, clutching onto his arm with her free one.

“Like you'd get the ch—whoa!”

“Yosuke-Senpai!”

Yosuke suddenly found his feet suspended in the air. He was floating... and getting farther away from the ground. Kanji jumped and grabbed onto his leg, but that didn't stop the chain. The group continued to link onto each other, trying to keep grounded. Teddie flailed his tiny legs as he was the last one to grab hold, the group drifting away from the center of the supernova. Away from Souji.

A ceremonial bang sounded, a flash blinding them. In an instant, they fell to the floor. Nobody let go.

Dazed, Yosuke rubbed his eyes with his free hand, blinking away the spots in his vision.

“...We're back at the start.”

* * *

 

**[Tantamount]**

Adachi laughed. It was weak, tired. The man leaned over the teen, punching the ground next to his face.

“See? We're the same,” he laughed, before it jumped into a fit of coughs. “We're both dead to this godforsaken world.”

Souji breathed in rasping breaths, pain and numbness intermingling and sending discord throughout this body. He didn't move. He stared blankly at Adachi's fist, wheezing as he was slowly forgetting how to breathe. He didn't want this. He didn't want any of this.

“No...” his voice was barely a whisper. “I'm... n...ot you...”

Either the detective didn't hear him, or wasn't deeming him worthy of a response anymore. Souji didn't care.

“I'm... a...alive...”

He wasn't sure if he even said those words as the world faded out around him.He thought he heard sirens.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**[Attention]**

“HEY!”

The investigation team jumped at Souji's sudden outburst, Yosuke and Kanji leaning away in shock as he slammed his tray of food against the table as he stood abruptly. The teenagers waited in a collective silence, glancing nervously as they noticed bystanders staring and whispering. Souji had never done anything like this before; it was very disconcerting.

Souji continued to stand, fingers curled tightly around the rims of his tray, eyes closed as his face was contorted into a sneer. Yosuke roughly leaned into the teen after a not-so-subtle shove from Chie beside him, and he shot the girl a glare before glancing back at his best friend.

“H-Hey, Partner,” he questioned, lightly tapping Souji on the arm. “You okay there?”

Souji's eyes suddenly snapped open and he threw his arms in the air, hopping onto the bench with a shaky leap and stepping down to the other side.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” he stated bluntly, face absolutely neutral. He snapped his arms back to his side and walked off as if everything was fine.

The group watched him as he departed, only turning to look at each other in confusion when Souji had walked into the doors of the supermarket and disappeared from their line of sight.

* * *

**[Bloom]**

“Big Bro, you're home!!” Nanako giggled as she ran up to her cousin, hugging him quickly around the waist before she grabbed two of his fingers in her hand and started to drag him the rest of the way to the house.

Souji laughed, eyeing the girl curiously. “What's the rush, Nanako?”

She looked to him and beamed, blush adorning her face. “The garden! It's growing! I see buds!”

She pulled on his hand excitedly with a skip to her step as they made the short distance to the garden. She laughed and let go of his hand, kneeling down next to the plants as she hummed to herself. Souji smiled and stooped to the ground beside her.

“You've done a good job, Nanako. They're growing nicely.”

The girl gasped, “Big Bro, you've helped, too! We did this together!” She grinned, swaying lightly from side-to-side before suddenly hopping to her feet.

“Daddy did, too! We have to show him when he gets home! Do you think he'll be happy?”

“Of course he will, Nanako,” Souji reassured, ruffling her hair as he stood up. “Why wouldn't he? We're doing an awesome job, and you're being an awesome leader.”

Nanako smiled, cheeks tinted with pride. “Yeah!”

* * *

**[Careful]**

“Souji, what the hell are you doing?! Get back here; it's too dangerous!”

The teen stubbornly ignored his uncle's cries as he waded through the raging river, swiping the hair out of his eyes as heavy rain drenched him further. The man continued to holler at him, but Souji continued on his way through the water, hands clenched into tight fists as he pushed himself forward with the momentum in his arms. He was halfway through. Dojima was still yelling.

He was going to save this poor cat. He was determined. The feline was stranded on a giant rock, soaking wet and mewling desperately, flinching at harsher raindrops smacking it in the face. Souji was almost to the rock, and he stopped to try to get the animal to sniff his hand, to get on it's good graces. The moment he stopped moving, he felt his feet sweep under him and he was sent crashing into the river. Panic struck through his system immediately. He tried to open his eyes to scan his surroundings—find something to cling to—but the rushing stream made it impossible. He tried to push himself to the surface, but he forgot how to move, his limbs struck numb in the sudden predicament.

His lungs burned and he lunged himself upward, taking in a deep breath before he was swept back underneath the water. He couldn't control himself against the rapids—being tossed around like a rag-doll as he struggled to push himself towards the riverbank. A sharp pain embellished in his back as he crashed against a rock, and he gasped in agony and shock. Panic set in heavy as he took in water instead of air.

He couldn't think. He tried to scream. He tried to push himself back up over the top, but he couldn't muster the strength. He couldn't even roll over and use the rock as support to hold onto. He was starting to lose himself—he could feel himself fading as he continued to take in water. The river pushed and slammed into him, stray rocks hitting him as he stay stuck.

He managed to open his eyes, and through the blurry, disoriented world, he watched the lifeless body of the cat he'd tried to save drift by before everything vanished.

* * *

**[Destiny]**

“But, Adachi-saaaan—”

“I said 'no', Souji-kun.”

“But, Adachi-SAAAAN—”

“Souji-kun. No.”

“But it's your destiny! You have to do it!”

Adachi gave the teen a disbelieving look. “Since when is it my 'destiny' to model dresses for you?!”

The teen stared blankly, before a smile curled onto his lips. “Since just now?”

“No.”

* * *

**[End]**

Souji gave Shu's mother a hearty smile and short wave before she closed the door. He let out a sigh as he walked down the street to the bus stop, moving his head side-to-side and flinching as he heard his neck crack. The night was quiet, only his footsteps disturbing the silence.

He stood at the bus stop, idly checking his phone through the text messages he'd received while tutoring Shu. One from Yosuke, another from Chie, three from Rise... He read them all quickly, and was going to respond to Chie's inquiry to train on the weekend before deciding it was too late. He didn't want to wake her up by accident. The bus sleepily rolled to the stop and Souji hopped on, paying his fare and grabbing his ticket. He and the bus driver exchanged a nod before the teen went and sat on the nearest chair, absentmindedly glancing out the window. He glanced curiously as another passenger boarded the bus and stumbled about, obviously drunk.

Souji tried to pay no mind as the man sat next to him, his body tensing as he kept his eyes focused on the scenery outside. He could smell the alcohol on the guy's breath. An entire bus, empty, and the man sits next to him. Just great.

He kept quiet, deciding not to change seats in case he offended the man and caused a scene. He just wanted to get home and sleep. The bus started to move, the lull of the engine and the rhythmic hum of the tires almost enough to make him fall asleep. It probably would have if it hadn't been for the man beside him.

Minutes passed, Souji eyeing the buildings pass and disappear out of sight. His stop was close—three more to go, and then he had to start his walk home. His eyes drooped as he rested his head against the window and he rubbed his face, dragging his hands down his eyelids as he sighed heavily. His body tensed again as he felt the drunken man eye him. He was staring him down.

His stomach twisted and his throat started to dry. Something was going to happen soon, he knew it. Resting his hands on his lap, Souji's eyes darted to the bus driver before looking back out the window. He could see the man eyeing him in the reflection, and his skin started turning cold. He was in trouble. Something was going to happen.

Two more stops.

He swallowed absentmindedly, trying to rid the lump of anxiety in the back of his throat. He shifted when the man did, trying to push himself as close to the window as possible. Maybe he could just get off at the next stop and walk the longer route home. He scanned the stranger's reflection in the window—what if he followed? His best bet was his normal bus stop. Maybe Adachi would be procrastinating at the gas station across the way like he sometimes did.

One more stop.

Time seemed to move abysmally slow and it took everything in him not to throw up. Maybe he was just being paranoid, his mom always did call him a worrier, after all. It didn't help that he was exhausted. This was all in his mind—he was going to be fine, of course. The drunk man sitting next to him on a deserted bus was just a drunk man being drunk, nothing more... right?

The bus slowed to a crawl and Souji glanced up and lifted himself from his seat. The man got up as well and the teen felt his stomach tighten in anxiety, pain shooting through his abdomen like it did when he got too worked up. He made his way off the bus, thanking the driver as he stepped onto the sidewalk, taking a brief glance at the gas station. Adachi wasn't there.

He peeked around the corner as he heard the bus leave, and his heart pounded in delight as he saw his uncle and Adachi up the way. He couldn't hear the conversation, but it was obvious by their stances that Adachi was getting scolded.

He took a step forward and called out to them, but nearly immediately after, he was suddenly dragged back by the collar of his uniform. He could smell the strong stench of alcohol and he whimpered as a knife was suddenly held to his throat. His stomach jumped to his throat as the man's hand groped along his body, digging into his pockets. He was looking for his wallet.

“I-If it's m-money you want—” he started, squeaking as the knife was pulled closer, nipping his skin.

Souji glanced to the detectives, who were looking back. The teen didn't think the robber even noticed the men there. Tears welted in his eyes as the man's free hand continued to feel him up. If the man was checking the same places again on purpose or was unaware of what he'd checked, Souji was uncertain.

“M-My wallet's—” he was interrupted again at the man hissing in his ear, pushing the knife in his skin just enough to draw a little bit of blood.

His body went cold as he felt it trickle down his neck, his breathing becoming harsh and strained as panic set in. He looked back up the road, Adachi trying to make his way down without startling the unaware stranger. His uncle was nowhere to be found.

When Adachi was a few paces away, the drunk man suddenly seemed to snap to attention. His roaming hand had quickly grabbed around Souji's waist, the teen letting out a squeak as he was pulled close to the man. His grip on the knife became shaky, Souji biting his quivering lip as he felt more blood draw as the weapon carved lightly into his skin.

“Hey, hey, hey, let's just calm down, okay?” Adachi raised his hands in the air, taking a short step forward. The man retaliated by taking a step back, dragging Souji with him.

Adachi paused, flashing a quick glance at the teen before eyeing the drunk man. “Nobody needs to get hurt. Let's just put the knife down—”

“G-Give me your money, first!” Souji held his breath as the man yelled, the stench of his breath enough to make his eyes water and his nose burn. “Th-Then you're gonna help me find this damned kid's wallet! And y-you're gonna let me le—”

There was a _clack_ from behind them.

“Drop the weapon.”

Souji felt light at the sound of his uncle's voice, sharing a quick relieved glance with Adachi. The feeling didn't last long as he felt the knife drag across his neck when the drunken man whirled in a panic.

“NO!”

* * *

**[Fallen]**

Souji stared at the ceiling, pouting. He tapped his fingers along his chest and glared.

“Souji-kun, you're disrupting the people trying to work.” Adachi mentioned as he hovered over the teen, stacks of paper held in disarray against his chest. “C'mon, get up.”

The teen glanced at him, sticking his tongue out. He had slipped on a piece of paper. This is where he would stay for the rest of his life. There was no point in getting up—he was done, his reputation was over. What a way to go.

“Oh for crying out loud,” he heard Dojima curse before he was also hovering over the teen. “Souji, get up. You've slipped on paper before.”

The teen shook his head. “This is where I die. My life is ruined and in shambles. The world as I know it is over.”

His uncle pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, scoffing.

“What did you come here for, Souji?”

“Nanako wanted to know what you wanted for that picnic we got planned. You weren't answering your phone.”

“Okay, here's the deal. You get up off the floor so I don't kick your ass, and then I'll tell you.”

“Are you gonna kick my ass anyway?”

“If you keep this up, I will.”

* * *

**[Great]**

Yosuke jumped and dropped the boxes of supplies he was holding at a loud scream that resonated throughout the section of the store. He cursed at the spilled contents, but decided it was best to check the source of the cry and went sprinting off. He pushed through the murmuring crowd, explaining he was trained in basic first aid if it was needed as he did so.

He paused when he got to the front of the crowd, staring in utter disbelief at the sight of Souji trying on an outfit and posing for the crowd. The teen caught Yosuke's eye and his face lit up with pride as he bounded over and struck another pose.

“Yosuke!” he suddenly laughed and placed his hands on the brunette's shoulders, eyes shining. “Don't I look amazing?!”

Yosuke eyed his friend up and down, a slight blush creeping on his cheeks. He really did. Well, he always did, but, no, wait—dammit that wasn't the issue here!

Shaking his head lightly, he glared at Souji. “Was that you who screamed?”

“...Well, duh. I mean, who wouldn't scream at how sexy I look in this outfit?” the teen stated bluntly.

“Next time, scream in your head, okay, dude?” Yosuke sighed in aggravation, hanging his head. “I dropped a box of stuff that I now have to clean up and you caused a scene and I think one of the co-workers may have pissed herself.”

“But, Yosuke, I AM a sce—”

“Stop talking now, bro.”

* * *

**[Horror]**

“S-S-S-S-Souji-!!” Chie's face was mortified and she took a step back, face pale and sweat running down her brow as she clutched her hands to her chest.

The teen stared at her in confusion, until he froze when he felt something patter on his arm. He looked down, a giant bug climbing his sleeve. He felt the blood drain from his face and he could only watch the disgusting creature hopelessly as his body refused to move.

Finally, he looked up at the girl, his body trembling as he mouthed the words 'help me'. Chie took a moment, glancing between the bug and Souji before nodding to herself and taking a deep breath. Chest puffed out and cheeks filled with air, she bounded over and stopped short a couple of steps before running off.

“I'm gonna go get Nanako-chan!”

Souji watched as she dashed away, petrified.

“DON'T LEAVE ME HERE LIKE THIS!”

* * *

**[Interim]**

“You know this is a one-time thing, right?”

Souji gasped in horror, and he raised his hands as he bounced in front of the detective, waving the hairbrush wildly in the man's face.

“IT IS NOT!”

Adachi gave him a tired look before dragging his fingers through his hair.

Souji squealed in horror, “YOU'RE MESSING IT UP! I JUST BRUSHED IT!”

* * *

**[Justice]**

His body contorted and twisted at odd angles, muscles spastic and twitching as his limbs moved without his command. Pain hit every nerve in his body as he was unable to stop Namatame from controlling him. Every step, every spasm, every jerk in his body as he was forced to push forward sent unbearable pain sparking through his system. His vision wavered and he could feel his heart pumping faster than it ever had in his life. His ears screeched with an intense ringing, any other sound was lost to him.

He felt himself swing the long-sword, and he thought he could hear the distressed cries from his friends as he swung. The pain bolting in every nerve, the migraine starting to form, his washed away sight, the constant screeching in his ears—he had no idea of what was actually happening.

This was his fault. He had gotten reckless in his anger at the giant form of Namatame's Shadow-consumed self for holding Nanako in the air by two gangling fingers. This was his fault. He should have showed his uncle his power—put his hand inside the TV at home before he'd been carted away to the interrogation room. This was his fault.

He should have been more careful.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he felt his body as his own again, collapsing in a heap on the floor as fire spread throughout every inch of his being. His entire body pulsed as he stared ahead, his sword digging into his leg from where he'd fallen onto it. Even with himself in control, he couldn't register what was happening—couldn't understand the words being tossed around, couldn't move, couldn't understand why he could feel his nose bleed profusely, why he felt blood pooling into his mouth from the back of his throat.

He thought he could hear Kanji's voice, but it was muffled and distorted. He found himself being picked up, his head lolling to the side before hanging listlessly. He watched, unable to do anything, as the blood fell from his mouth and onto his pants.

He thought he could hear Yukiko's voice, thought he could feel her hands on his arms. He was still being held up, presumably by Kanji, to stay sitting upright. He thought he heard Yosuke and Chie. He thought he heard Teddie and Naoto and Rise.

A rush washed over him like water, before disappearing as quickly as it came. His vision tuned a little sharper, he could hear the distinctions in his friend's voices. His body still ached and burned, his nose still bleeding, and more still rising into his mouth from his abdomen. He raised his head, breathing heavily and hard. The world spun where he rested against Kanji's shoulder. He watched as Yukiko's Persona appeared before him, and another rush of coolness fell over his body. It didn't change anything this time.

He looked past the Persona as it was summoned again, focusing on the giant figure in the distance. Namatame. He could see the small form of his cousin still dangling in his grasp.

He turned his hand over from where it lay on the ground, feeling the warmth in the palm of his hand as he summoned his Persona. His eyes never tore away from Nanako's small silhouette, soundlessly crushing the tarot card in his hand.

* * *

**[Kind]**

Souji stared at all the chocolate that flooded on his desk. He felt the stares from his classmates, some glaring holes in the back of his head. Yosuke crept up beside him, practically in tears as he gripped onto the side of Souji's desk.

“Dude, you are my best friend. You're such a nice guy and awesome and it would be so great if you could give me a piece of chocolate,” the brunette wept. “Pretty please, dude? I'm begging you!”

Souji looked at him blankly, opening up one of the packages. He watched Yosuke's face light up like an exuberant puppy, and he could only imagine the wagging tail. He ripped a chunk of chocolate and took it out of the bag, Yosuke's eyes lighting up.

And then he ate it, promptly scooped up the entirety of chocolate packages into his arms, and dashed out of the room. He heard from Teddie later that Yosuke had cried himself to sleep that night.

* * *

**[Leave]**

Souji kicked off his shoes, yawning his arrival as he stepped into the house. He froze, watching Nanako cheer on Dojima and Adachi as they rapidly chugged down what looked like orange juice. Souji watched the scene for a moment before putting his shoes back on and leaving the house.

He was going to have to buy more orange juice.

* * *

**[Month]**

It had been a month since he left Inaba. He was spread out on his futon, pillow resting over his face. He heard a knock on his bedroom door before it opened.

“Souji, I was just looking over y—” his mom paused briefly. “What are you doing?”

Souji shrugged.

“Are you still upset about leaving Inaba?” her tone turned soft and melancholy. “Oh, Souji, I'm sorry. It wasn't fair of us—of me—to send you off like that, only to bring you back just as fast. You know I had no choice, right?”

Souji dragged the pillow down his face and stared at his mom, ignoring the sheets of paper in her hand.

“Why can't we move there?”

Her face faltered, twitching into a strained grin. “...Pardon?”

“Inaba. Why can't we move to Inaba?”

“Souji, you know I—”

“Uncle lives there. He could help you get back on the police force real fast.”

“No, Souji, I don't—”

“Dad could probably get a job at Junes. I think he'd get along great with Yosuke's dad, and—”

His mom put a hand up to stop him. “Souji, you know how much I hate small towns.”

The teen stared back hard, clicking his tongue. “And you know how much I hated them. Inaba... it's home now, Mom. I don't feel at home here. I feel... lost.”

“Isn't that how you felt when you first got there?” She quirked an eyebrow as she folded her arms. “Don't you remember sending me an email saying you hated it? You were lost and confused and wanted to come home? You didn't understand why you couldn't just live by yourself for a year? That was after your first month there. It's no different being back here—being back _home—_ you just have to readjust again.”

Souji faltered, face flushed. “But—”

“That's enough. If you want to discuss this further, we'll do it when your father comes home.”

* * *

**[Near]**

Souji fumbled through the hallways, Kanji clinging onto his shoulders as they walked through the dark school.

“H-How did we lose track of time so bad?” Kanji whispered, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Studying is a time killer,” Souji shrugged, squinting as he tried to make out anything. The wind howled outside, trees swaying madly as the rain slammed onto the windows. The two students jumped with a cry as lightning cracked, quickly followed by a ceremonial bang.

Kanji had pulled Souji into a tight hug, his arms wrapped tightly around Souji's chest. Souji could hear Kanji's hammering heartbeat. He slowly lifted his arms and patted Kanji on the elbow.

“You know, Kanji-kun, if you just wanted a hug from me, you could have asked.”

Kanji yelped and let Souji go as if he'd suddenly caught fire, stammering incoherently as Souji smirked to himself. He grabbed the younger teen's hand and started leading them through the abandoned and dark school once more, hoping to get them both home safe and sound before the storm got even worse.

* * *

**[Red]**

The knife grazed Dojima's cheek as the drunken man whirled. His finger instinctively pulled the trigger as his hand was pushed away. He heard Adachi holler in pain. Souji fell.

There was blood. A lot of it.

“NO!”

The drunken thug was gone—sprinting away down the road. They'd find him later. Putting his gun back in it's holster, Dojima slid to his knees and rolled Souji onto his back, the teen wheezing as blood pooled out of his neck. The slice wasn't as deep as he thought, but his nephew was still losing a lot of blood, and he was losing it fast.

“Hang on, Souji, you don't give up on me, okay?!” he heard his voice crack as he put pressure on the wound with his hands. He heard Adachi yelling on the phone—his voice panicked and pained.

Souji looked at him, opening and closing his mouth as it looked like he was trying to say something. His eyes remained wide and disoriented, and his shaking hands grabbed onto Dojima's arm, nails digging into his skin like his life depended on it. Adachi kneeled next to them and brought Souji's arms back down, gripping tightly onto one of his hands.

The detectives shared a quick glance, Dojima eyeing the blood seeping into Adachi's shirt and spatter on his face before turning back to Souji, who hadn't stopped looking at him. He was gasping and choking, making terrifying sounds that grew weaker with each passing second.

There was too much blood.

* * *

**[Stampede]**

“That's some heavy rain. Come on, Souji, let's go home. We can fish another time,” Dojima muttered, stamping his now wet cigarette into the ground. He was about to turn on his heel and start heading back before he noticed his nephew plunging waist-deep into the river. He looked for a moment, disbelief etched across his face at the sight. He noticed a cat on a rock.

The idiot!

He ran to the edge of the bank, grimacing as the tips of his shoes became submerged. Every instinct in his body was saying to go after the teen and drag him back, but he knew that would only lead to more trouble.

“Souji, what the hell are you doing?! Get back here; it's too dangerous!” he hollered, jaw clenching and heart racing as Souji ignored him and continued on.

Maybe he couldn't hear him past the river and the rain?

“SOUJI! Get back here NOW!” he screamed, edging back onto safer land, pacing nervously as he watched the teen with a keen-eye. He could hear bystanders murmur at the road above the stairs and he dragged his hands through his hair in desperation.

“SOUJI, YOU B—” His sentence fell into a choked noise in the back of his throat as he watched his nephew get swept under the raging creek. His heart fell to his stomach, eyes darting through the water as he tried to find the boy's body.

“Dojima-san!” he turned, watching Adachi skid to the bank. It was clear the younger detective had seen what had happened. Without a word, the two darted, following the river.

Suddenly, Souji's head sprung above the water for a moment, and then he was back under. Dojima almost missed it with a blink.

“What was he doing in there?!” Adachi questioned as they sprinted across the bank, struggling to find the teen's form under the murky water.

Dojima grit his teeth. “Tryin' to save a god damn cat!”

“That one?”

Dojima glanced at the feline that was screeching and howling as it was thrashed around. It didn't take long before it was motionlessly drifting with the currents. The detective nearly tripped when Adachi veered to a stop, his eyes wide and breathing heavy. He pointed to a giant rock near the opposite end of the river.

“I see him! He's stuck!”

He was right. Dojima could see his nephew's body slammed against the rock, but he couldn't tell if he was struggling to surface. He should have acted on his instincts, dammit. Maybe now it was too late, but he pushed himself forward, almost knee deep in the river before Adachi grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

“What are you doing?!” His voice was cracking, face pale and eyes scanning the older detective as if he were a madman. “You'll just get swept away like he did!”

“He's going to drown, Adachi! Let me go! This isn't some stupid cat!” Dojima yelled, ripping his arm out of his partner's grasp before trudging into the raging river. He faltered as his foot twisted awkwardly on a rock, but he pushed on. He could hear Adachi calling for backup past the rapids and the rain. His heart was racing in his chest, and he could feel his face was flushed with anger and desperation as he made it to the halfway point.

Then he slipped.

“DOJIMA-SAN!”

He crashed forward, face slamming onto the rock Souji was stuck on. He gripped onto the sides, burying his forehead on the stone as he seethed. He either lost a tooth or broke his nose. He could feel blood gushing, but he couldn't tell from where. The entirety of the right side of his face pulsed in pain, his vision spotted and swaying. He took a couple of breaths, before pushing himself away from the rock. He had to walk against the waves, and he could feel his knees about to give way to the pressure.

He threw himself to the side, reaching and grabbing onto Souji's shirt. He pulled the teen out of the water, struggling to find balance as he leaned against the rock while trying to lift his nephew. His lips were blue. Dojima looked up in panic as he tried to hoist Souji's motionless body into his arms. They were close to the other side of the river. If he just pushed himself, he could make it.

He _had_ to make it.

Managing to hold the teen's body, Dojima shut his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. He only had one shot, or they were both dead. That wasn't going to happen. He wasn't leaving Nanako all alone. With a yell, Dojima pushed himself off of the rock and trudged forward. His footing was all over; carrying Souji was throwing him off balance. He screamed again as he felt his knees start giving way to the pressure and he jumped forward, losing hold of Souji as they rolled onto the bank.

He coughed and lifted himself up, ignoring the swaying vision and dancing dots. He crawled to his nephew, dragging his body further onto the riverbed so as not to get swept away again. He stared at Souji's face, mind blanking on what to do from the adrenaline and shock from his injury. Dojima took more deep breaths. CPR. He had to do CPR.

Locking his hands together, Dojima started the chest compressions. His eyes burned, and he knew he was crying. He ignored the blood that soaked into Souji's uniform as it fell from his wound, ignored the dots that clouded his vision and the swaying that made his stomach twist in knots. He didn't get to thirty compressions before he felt his arms go numb, the image of his nephew fading away as he felt himself fall over and collapse on the ground.

* * *

**[Test]**

Souji stared blankly at his homework on his desk. He had spent every night helping Nanako with hers that he'd completely forgotten about his. He tapped his pencil against his cheek, eyeing the words on his papers as if they were written in another language.

His phone started to ring and he answered it without looking. Anything to distract himself from his unwritten homework.

“Hey, Souji, uh...” Yosuke hesitated on the other line. “Have... you done any of our homework yet? I'm just sitting here... and... Chie sent me a text saying Yukiko said we had a test when we got back and I am freaking out, man. Dude, you gotta help me!”

Souji looked at his papers and dramatically clutched his free hand to his chest. “I'm sorry, Yosuke. I... I can't even help myself at this point.”

He could only offer another apology as Yosuke wailed on the other line.

* * *

**[Unrest]**

“Dojima-san?”

The detective wrung his hands together, looking up at the nurse that stood in front of him. A tired smile was pasted on her lips as she shuffled through the papers on her clipboard.

“Your nephew is still in surgery, and I'm afraid I can't give you an update on him quite yet,” she stated, looking up from her paperwork and meeting his eye. “Your partner, Adachi-san, he's out of surgery. I can show you to his room if you'd like to visit.”

Dojima sighed roughly, “What's the damage?”

“I'm sorry?”

“Adachi. How bad was it? He couldn't move his arm at the scene.”

He could see the nurse chew on the inside of her cheek before responding. “The bullet caused extensive damage to the bone and joints in his shoulder. I'm afraid he—”

“Okay.” Dojima interrupted, lifting himself up off the bench and taking a deep breath. “Show me to the room.”

The woman nodded, silence overcoming the two as they walked through the halls. They stopped short outside of his room, the nurse giving another short smile as she lightly squeezed his arm.

“I'll be back with the doctor's to notify you when Souji-kun is out of surgery,” she said, eyes turning downcast as she turned and walked away.

Dojima's blood ran cold. Her voice had dropped to stone, and her body was tense and rigid as she walked away. He grit his teeth and headed through the door, freezing at the sight of Adachi on the hospital bed. Bandages poked out from underneath the hospital gown, IV drip pinned into his hand. His face was pale, his hair even messier than usual. It looked like he was sleeping.

He was about to leave when he watched the detective's eyes flutter open, head rolling weakly.

“Hey, Dojima-san.” Adachi cracked a weak smile, before it fell into a worried expression. “Are you okay?”

Dojima sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he closed the door and walked inside, grabbing a chair by the wall and placing it next to the bed to sit. “I should be asking you that.”

Adachi laughed—it was hoarse and raspy. He shifted in the bed, wincing as he did so. “Any news on the kid?”

“Still in surgery.”

“Damn... I'm sorry, Dojima-san. Maybe if I'd done something more, this wouldn't h—”

“Stop.” Dojima grunted, glaring. “This was my fault. The plan was stupid, and now I have to live with the fact that I almost killed you and So—”

“Dojima-san, what are you talking about? You didn't almost kill me or Souji-kun, the drunk guy did.” Adachi glared back.

“B—”

“Don't beat yourself up over it, Dojima-san. You did nothing wrong.”

“Don't go telling me that shit when you blame yourself as much as me.”

Adachi flinched, eyes darting around the room. An uncomfortable quiet shifted between the men, the only sound being the monitor that beeped perpetually. Dojima glanced at the bandages that he could see from under the collar of Adachi's hospital dress. He found himself tracing the man's arm. It looked fine to him—maybe they were wrong. Maybe he could still--

“I can't feel it.” Dojima jumped, Adachi avoiding his gaze. Dojima could see his eyes watering. “Guess this is the last job we'll do together, huh? You were always on my ass, but it was kinda fun while it lasted.”

“Adachi, maybe t—”

“No. The doctor explained it to me—multiple times. I didn't want to believe it either, and I still don't want to, but...” he looked down to his injury before rolling his head back to the side to look at Dojima. Tears were rolling down his face as his voice wavered. “I... I have to. The... faster I come to terms with it, maybe... maybe then it won't hurt so much...”

“Adachi, I am so sorry...”

The two drifted back into the uneasy silence, Dojima looking at his hands as he wrung them in his lap. He listened to Adachi try to calm his quivering breaths and he felt his stomach knot in guilt. This was all his fault. If he'd forbidden Souji from going out at night... If he hadn't made up that stupid plan... If... If he'd been rational and thought things through, maybe...

There was a knock at the door and the men turned as a nurse and doctor walked in. Their faces were sullen. Dojima's eyes widened as he rose from the chair, but otherwise didn't move.

“Dojima-san,” voice strained, the doctor looked him in the eye. “I'm afraid that we w—”

There was nothing left to say when Dojima collapsed to his knees.

* * *

**[Why]**

He woke up coughing. His stomach jumped up to his throat and he rolled over, balancing himself on his elbows as he vomited onto the ground. He took heavy breaths, coughing more at the burning sensation in his throat before he found himself vomiting again.

He looked up, gasping for breath and coughing as he slowly moved into a sitting position. The rain pelted him as he tried to collect himself, before looking at the two figures he saw out of the corner of his eye. He stared at his uncle and Adachi blankly, confusion blanketing his system as he looked at his uncle's bloody mouth and missing tooth.

He opened his mouth to ask another question before he found himself clutching his abdomen, curled over and heaving as he threw up once more, before his body gave in and he fell to the side. His breathing was heavy and quaking. His chest ached and burned. His back was on fire. He found he kept coughing every other second.

He made no resistance when he found himself rolled over onto his other side, and he looked up at the two adults in confusion as he lay there on the ground.

“The paramedics are on their way...” Adachi commented breathlessly as he handed Dojima a cloth in his pocket. “I can't believe... you two crossed that fucking river... I can't believe _I_ did! What the hell is wrong with you two?!”

Everything flashed into Souji's head instantly—trying to save the cat, being swept under the river, hitting that rock and feeling the water escape into his lungs. He felt his face grow hot past the cold rain, eyes stinging as they filled with tears. He glanced to his relative, who was distant-eyed and blankly holding the cloth to his face, Adachi helping him to sit upright.

The younger detective gave him a glare, ice shooting down the teen's spine. He'd never seen Adachi look so mad before.

“Why'd you do it, Souji-kun? To save a damn cat? You turned blue! You weren't breathing! Dojima-san almost fell under trying to get to you, and then I almost did trying to get to him _and_ you!” Adachi bellowed. Souji thought he heard his voice crack.

“Why the hell did you do something so stupid?!”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**[Air]**

The sharp blow in between his ribs made him retch, falling to the ground as he writhed in pain, gasping and wheezing. The world around him was spinning in a frenzy from his head colliding painfully with the concrete, his lungs on fire, his vision blurred with spots.

“Really, Dojima-san, that's all you've got?” Adachi laughed over him, before squatting down, tilting his head with a sneer. “You're such a piece of shit. I shouldn't even be wasting my breath on you.”

* * *

**[Broken]**

Souji grimaced as he defended against the behemoth's attack. He shouldn't have been surprised to be fighting a God again, but he found himself surprised anyway. The flames licked his skin, the heat causing him to sweat profusely, his grip wavering off his sword as it slipped in his grasp.

He was already weakened from the red fog and the fighting in the P-1 Tournament, and his vision started to waver—he was at his limit. Dammit... not like this.

“Persona.”

He watched in confusion as Magatsu-Izanagi struck the God from behind, Adachi lifting himself off the floor in pain and stalking over. Blood was pooling out of the ex-cop's mouth, face bruised and bloodied as he grimaced a smile, a limp to his step.

“Tch, I gave you the perfect opportunity, and you couldn't even finish it off before I woke up,” Adachi laughed before choking and wincing in agony, gripping onto his side.

Souji could only watch him in bewilderment, attention snapping back to the giant threat once it roared.

“C'mon, kid, you look worse than I feel. Take a break, I got this.”

“Adachi-san...” he wasn't sure what to say as he watched the prisoner stalk over to the deity, revolver drawn as he summoned Magatsu-Izanagi once more.

* * *

**[Care]**

The news hit him like a punch to his gut. He knew it was going to happen eventually, but to finally hear it... he wasn't sure how to react. He fell to the floor and cradled his head in his hands, watching as his tears fell onto his pants.

His phone buzzed, but he didn't move to check it. His head reeled and his heart hammered, fingers gripping into his hair so tight that he was giving himself a headache faster than normal. His phone buzzed again moments later, and then again, and again, and again.

Leaning his head back to the door of his apartment, he took deep, quaking breaths, wiping his face furiously on his sleeves. Sniffing as he dug out his phone from his pocket, he squinted as his eyes burned reading the text messages. One from Yosuke, one from Chie, one from Kanji, two from Rise, and... one from hours ago...

His heart stopped, his thumb wavering over the button to check the message. He hadn't heard his phone when he got that message. But... how? His execution would have already... Swallowing harshly, his thumb shook as it pressed down, the text sprawling open on the screen.

' _Don't cry, kid._

_Save your tears for someone who'll need them more. This is how it ends for me, and I'm fine with that._

_So quit being such a dumbass for once._ '

He found himself smiling, the text blurring on the screen as his tears fell.

* * *

**[Death]**

Souji stood, unable to move as he looked down past his feet. Before him was the mangled corpse of a cat, it's innards strewn about the pavement, blood puddled around and soaking in the animal's fur.

He collapsed to his knees in a heap, clutching onto his abdomen as his stomach churned.

* * *

**[Easy]**

“ _Whoa! You make it look so easy!_ ”

“ _This is easy for you, right? Please, dude, just help me out!_ ”

“ _You're top in the class again?! Wow, Senpai, you're_ _amazing! School must be really easy for you, huh? Maybe you can give me some private tutoring~?”_

“ _Everything just comes naturally to him, isn't that right, dear? Parenthood is so easy when you have the perfect son!_ ”

Throwing his papers off his desk, Souji clutched his head in his hands. Easy, easy, easy! None of this shit was easy! Fuck them, fuck school, fuck this shit! He found himself crying, shoulders trembling, headache prominent in the base of his skull as he sobbed to himself. He could hear Nanako watching TV downstairs, but he tried to keep his cries as quiet as he could. She didn't need to be bothered by him—poor kid had more than enough problems for a six year old.

Placing his forehead on the desk, Souji chewed on his quivering lip, hugging himself tightly as his breathing started to come out in panicked waves, cold sweat forming on his brow, stomach lining with fire, bubbling in anxiety. Scratching his head furiously, he went back to hugging himself, only to scratch his head, and then toss his jacket away as his body started to flare up. Stumbling out of his chair, Souji wobbled across his room, the sound of his homework under his feet echoing rapidly in his ears, deafening like cannon fire.

He scurried out of his room as fast as his trembling form would carry him, barely acknowledging the call from Dojima saying he was home as he made a dash for the bathroom. Slamming the door behind him, he crawled over to the toilet and hurled. Then he did it again. And again.

Yeah. _Easy_.

* * *

**[Fair]**

“WELL _YOU_ SIGNED US UP WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION _FIRST_!”

“IT WAS A _JOKE_! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULDN'T BACK OUT! AND ALL _YOU_ HAVE TO DO IS WEAR A _SWIMSUIT_! _WE_ HAVE TO CROSS-DRESS! _CROSS! DRESS!”_

Souji watched as Chie and Yosuke bickered, screeching back and forth like agitated cats. With long strides, he stopped in front of them, staring past the two as he looked to the fence of the roof behind them. The duo stopped their fight, staring at Souji in confusion when the man placed a hand on both of their shoulders.

“It's only fair,” he stated, continuing to stare off into space, ignoring Chie's triumphant grin and Yosuke's look of horror and betrayal. What kind of dress could he get in such a short amount of time...?

* * *

**[Gross]**

Souji grimaced, recoiling and hunching his shoulders up and lowering his head as much as possible. He felt himself getting queasy, lightly digging his elbows into his stomach to try to quell the nausea that ran through his system.

Naoto perked up from where she had her head in her book, staring at him curiously. “Narukami-Senpai, are you feeling alright? You look quite green.”

The group all dug their heads out of their books and turned to their leader, who's face was still contorted in disgust.

“I just imagined Adachi in a speedo.”

“Dude, why w—oh God now I imagined it.”

The entire table shuddered at the imagery in their minds.

* * *

**[Halo]**

“Dojima-san, we found your nephew and his friend at Junes waving swords around.”

Dojima looked up from his papers, turning slowly to look at the officer that was shuffling awkwardly next to his desk. He blinked slowly, and tilted his head before he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I'm sorry, can you say that again?”

“We, uh, found your nephew and his friend waving swords around at Junes, sir. We have them waiting in one of the interrogation rooms.”

Sighing deeply, Dojima shook his head in disbelief, pinching the bridge of his nose even harder while he tapped his foot rigidly on the floor. Reluctantly, he pushed himself out of his chair, twirling his hand to allow his co-worker to lead the way. His footsteps were heavy as they traversed the station, his shoulders hunched and face fallen in exhaustion. Officers murmured and snickered as they walked down the hall, Dojima sneering at the ones that grinned at him in amusement. They stopped outside of one of the interrogation rooms near the end of the hall, Dojima quietly taking the key-ring from his co-worker and unlocking the door.

Rubbing his eyes, he took another deep breath and opened the door, closing it back behind him as he stepped into the room. Souji and the Hanamura kid looked at him, the Junes kid's face flushed with embarrassment and Souji's completely deadpan.

Before Dojima even had a chance to sit opposite to them and speak a word, Souji had raised a hand.

“I am an innocent bystander in this scenario. I wasn't aware Yosuke Hanamura was bringing swords to the Junes food court, and I was just as surprised as everybody else. He almost cut me swinging them around. I played no part in his antics and I hope to be treated as the angel I am. If anything, I am rightfully a victim of attempted assault.”

Souji put his hand back down, face still completely devoid of emotion. Dojima cocked an eyebrow, looking over at Yosuke who was staring at the other teen shell-shocked, mouth hung open and eyes wide. Dojima glanced back at his nephew, and he thought he saw a ring of light above the kid for a second.

* * *

**[Ice]**

The bullet grazed his cheek, cutting the tip of his ear and crashing into the glass window behind him. His breath caught in his throat, the wounds stinging as blood started to slowly seep through, ears ringing from the close shot.

He found himself unable to move—legs locked in place where they trembled. Despite that, it felt like the room was swaying under his feet, watching as Adachi sharply cocked his head to the side, scowl on his face, continuing to hold the gun in the air. The air grew thick as the men stood unmoving, Souji's tapered breathing echoing softly in the silence. Adachi's eyes bored into his, and Souji couldn't find it in himself to look away.

He could feel the blood inch it's way down his face, his body frozen, his mind halted. All he could do was look at the man he had called a friend—still wanted to call a friend. He found his hand moving, and he wasn't sure if he was moving it himself. He was, of course, but it felt like he was disconnected from his body, merely watching the entire scene unfold. His fingers brushed the edge of the cut, blood popping into his nails as he pressed down on the injury. The pain shot through his nerves, but he didn't move his hand. All he could do was stare at Adachi before him.

“You're a coward.”

He heard himself speak. His voice cracked and wavered, and it sounded more like a question than a statement. Adachi didn't move, didn't acknowledge his words in any way. Then, Souji blinked, and he found himself pinned against the wall behind him. His head smashed against the window, further aggravating the cracks and dents from the bullet moments ago. Adachi was pressing him close to the wall, giving him no sense of movement, gripping tightly onto one of his arms with the gun placed to his head.

A whimper died in the back of Souji's throat, unable to look away from the distant malice in Adachi's eyes. He could feel Adachi's breaths touching his skin, goosebumps chilling all the way up his arms.

“Then what are you? A _hero_?” the detective spat, Souji flinching away, his heart pounding and his body frozen.

A cold smile slowly crept onto Adachi's face, tapping the gun on top of Souji's head as the teen whimpered.

“Yeah, I didn't think so.”

* * *

**[Juvenile]**

Adachi stared at Dojima in disbelief, before he was leaning back in his chair laughing hysterically. Dojima rolled his eyes at his partner's antics, grabbing his burger and chewing into it absentmindedly as the younger detective continued to laugh.

“S-Swords?” Adachi snorted, leaning back and slamming his arms on the table, more roughly than he'd planned as he jumped in surprise. He shook his head, placing a hand over his mouth as he continued to chuckle. “Where did they even—swords?!”

“According to my nephew, Hanamura almost cut him waving them around.”

Surprise filled Adachi's features. “He was just waving them around?! Kids these days, sheesh! They should know better than to bring dangerous weapons to a f-food co—”

Dojima sighed and slid down his chair as Adachi interrupted himself into another burst of giggles. Dojima didn't understand what Adachi found so funny about the entire ordeal, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to find out.

* * *

**[Klutz]**

“Narukami-Senpai, I know you're in a rush to save Nanako-chan, but you must be wary. You l—”

Souji stopped Naoto with a twirl of his hand, grinning over his shoulder. “I'm fine, Naoto. Don't worry about me, I j—” He couldn't even let out a yelp of surprise as he found himself falling down, the team calling after him in worry. He landed to the floor with a _thump_ , pain surging through his limbs as his sword bounced to the ground beside him. His heart pumped in his head as he looked up in shock, staring at his teammates who were looking down at him from where they had climbed a beanstalk to reach the next level.

He lay there in agony, blinking and gasping in pain as his friends slowly climbed down the beanstalk, Yosuke the first to rush to his side.

“You okay there, dude?!” he questioned, grabbing his hand and helping him sit up.

He glanced at the brunette blankly, blinking slowly before he leaned to look around him, staring at Naoto as she stood behind Yosuke with the rest.

“Wary. More of that. Got it.”

* * *

**[Loser]**

“Are you calling me a loser?” He looked at his new homeroom teacher incredulously, who's head turned to look at him so fast he thought he'd heard the man's neck snap.

Morooka's face quickly grew red in anger, and he lifted an accusing finger and was about to scream, before Souji shrugged nonchalantly, and nodded lightly.

“Cuz you'd be right.”

He watched as Morooka's face fell in confusion, glancing around as if he was trying to process what he'd just heard. Souji stood there for a moment, watching the teacher's mental cogs turn, before he silently walked over to the only empty desk in the room. The girl next to him leaned over, acting as if she wanted to say something before she straightened herself back in her seat, deciding against it. There was a short moment before she leaned over again and whispered.

“Don't think you'll be considered a loser now. Nobody's been able to shut him up like that!”

* * *

**[Missing]**

Nanako fidgeted nervously on her seat, glancing to the door before directing her attention back to the television. She continued to waver her focus between the door and the TV, fingers curling tightly around her dress on her knees. Nanako hopped to her feet when credits started to roll down the screen, her light steps pattering across the hardwood as she walked towards the phone on the stand nearby. She found herself on the verge of tears, hands trembling as she pulled the phone off the receiver, about to dial a number until she jumped at the sound of the front door opening.

A smile jumped on her face and she ran to the door, hugging her father's legs as he walked inside. Dojima laughed in surprise, patting her on the head as he shifted the bag he was holding to not hit her. She let go and took a step back, allowing Dojima to take off his shoes and letting Adachi inside from behind him. Nanako peered to the side, glancing outside before Adachi shut the door, and Nanako found her smile disappearing.

“What's the matter?” Dojima asked, noticing the sudden shift in her mood.

Nanako turned to him, desperately fighting back the tears as she handed him the phone. “B-B-Big Bro's not b-back yet. I-I was gonna phone you, b-but then you came home a-and...”

She watched as Dojima and Adachi exchanged a glance, Dojima lightly turning her around by the shoulder and placing the phone back on the receiver before taking her to the couch. Sitting down beside her, he dug his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in a number, holding the phone to his ear. Nanako watched in silence, swaying her feet and hiccuping in nervousness. She noticed Adachi lean against a nearby wall from the corner of her eye, folding his arms as he also watched Dojima. Nanako could hear the phone ringing—and it kept ringing, over and over and over. She started to twist her legs together, bunching up her skirt in her hands as she noticed her father's brow stitch together, hesitantly biting his lip.

“Kid didn't set up a voicemail?” Adachi inquired from where he stood, scratching the back of his head. “Want me to try phoning him?”

Dojima shut his phone and nodded, grunting in reply. Adachi pulled out his phone, punching in a number and putting it up to his hear. Nanako could feel the tears falling freely down her cheeks as they sat there waiting and waiting before Adachi sighed with a shrug, closing the phone and putting it back in his pocket.

“Hey, don't worry, Nanako-chan! I'm sure he's fine.” The younger detective smiled. “Your Big Bro's tough. I'm sure he just got a little lost.”

Nanako nodded dimly, trying to stop her quivering lip as Dojima got up from the couch, lightly ruffling her hair as he did so.

“Hey, don't worry, Nanako. We'll find him.” She couldn't help but notice that her dad didn't look at her when he said that, his tone sounding angry. Was it her fault?

It looked like he was about to say more until they heard the door crack open, the three of them directing their focus there. Nanako hopped off the couch and skipped over to look, watching as the door creaked open slowly, gasping in horror as she watched her cousin walk in. He was hunched over, clutching onto his side and wincing as he kicked off his shoes. Nanako found herself glued to the spot she stood on, watching Dojima and Adachi lead the teen inside, propping him onto the couch.

“What happened?!” her father questioned, anger bubbling in his voice. “Why didn't you call me?! Or an ambulance?!”

Souji mumbled under his breath, wincing as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The device had been split in two. Nanako could only watch as the cops fussed over the teen, Adachi yelling in astonishment at Souji's broken leg. Nanako found herself clambering onto the couch, sitting on her father's lap and hugging her cousin as carefully as she could, crying all the while.

“Y-Y-You didn't come home! I-I-I w-was so s-scared!”

She didn't want to be alone again.

* * *

**[Night]**

Souji waved goodbye to Chie as they split ways down the road, the girl starting off into a sprint once her back was turned. Souji listened as her fast steps faded as he turned back to the small strip mall, looking at the stores absentmindedly as he traipsed through. He paused at the sight of Adachi near the gas station at the end of the strip, leaning against one of the pillars and tapping a can in his hands.

Souji tilted his head to the side, before stepping closer to the detective, who did a double take when he noticed the teen's presence.

“Ah, S-Souji-kun, hi!” Adachi stammered, pushing himself away from the pillar. “Y-Your uncle didn't send you to find me, did he?”

Souji chuckled under his breath and shook his head, giving the man a smile. “What can I do? Arrest you? It's a nice night, isn't it?”

Adachi seemed taken aback at the sudden question about the weather, monotone sound emitting from the back of his throat as he looked from the teen to the darkened sky, moon shining brightly. He took a quick swig from his drink, before holding the can in front of Souji. He looked at it in confusion, cocking his head the other way as he eyed Adachi in puzzlement.

The detective grinned sheepishly. “Oh, right, you're underage, huh?” he laughed, before shrugging. “But hey, it won't kill you to have a sip. Wanna try? I won't tell anybody.”

Souji mulled it over for a moment, grabbing the can of beer and taking a short sip. He smacked his lips, handing the can back to the detective, Adachi staring at him with amusement light in his eyes.

“Fucking disgusting.”

Adachi snorted, taking another swig. “I should arrest you for that foul mouth, but it's too nice of a night. I'll let you off the hook this time.”

* * *

**[Overconfident]**

Shit. He screwed up.

With desperation flooding his veins, Souji crushed his tarot card, Izanagi stunning the Shadows with a heavy attack as the teen dragged himself to his feet. He ignored the burning sensation in his leg as he hobbled away, ignored the burning sensation in his ribs as he tried to remember how to breathe. All he'd wanted to do was get a little extra training in, alone. He thought he could handle it, but he found himself getting lost in Yukiko's Castle, suddenly overpowered by a Shadow he'd never encountered in this dungeon before.

It was on his tail, scraping along the walls as it dented them out. It took all Souji had to run, escaping the labyrinth and fleeing to the starting point, collapsing in a mess at the entrance. He figured he must have passed out, but he had no concrete sign that he did. His phone had been sliced in two earlier from his own mistake, so he couldn't even check the time.

Gritting his teeth, Souji pushed himself back onto his feet, falling over nearly immediately as pain flooded up his bones and nerves, vomiting on the floor at the suddenness of it all. His leg was broken. Shit. Catching himself, he took a deep breath and screamed as he forced himself back on his feet again, using his sword as a heavy cane, stabbing it forcefully into the ground as he hobbled towards their 'base' in the TV world.

Shit. He'd have to walk home after this.

Shit.

* * *

**[Pretty]**

“Hey, Souji-kun~” Adachi slurred, face flushed as he swayed in his seat, alcohol bouncing off his breath.

Dojima had passed out on the couch an hour before, and Nanako had dejectedly went to her room. It was just him and the drunk detective in the living room. Souji took a sip of his orange juice, observing as the man's eyes lit up with devious intent.

“Who... do you find pretty?” the drunk man snickered, taking a giant swig of his alcohol.

Souji closed his eyes and shrugged. “Me.”

“Nooo... No. Someone else. Who do you liiiiike~”

Souji shrugged again. “Me.”

“NO! Someone else!”

He opened his eyes and smirked, raising an eyebrow. “You?”

Adachi faltered, expression slowly turning into a pout as he took another drink, processing the answer. He glanced around, drunken mind slowly clicking together an answer. Adachi looked back at Souji and leaned across the table, eyes wide.

“But tha's illegal... I gotsa arrest you now.”

Souji found himself having to excuse himself, laughing as he walked away, Adachi mumbling in confusion where he sat.

* * *

**[Rabbit]**

“S-Senpai, your face is bright red. Are you okay?”

Kanji glanced around nervously, Souji staring intently at the small gift in his hands. It was just a simple keychain, he didn't understand why—wait, was he crying?!

Kanji faltered when the older teen suddenly grabbed him into a hug, crying into his shirt.

“IT'S SO CUUUUUTE!” he weeped, sobbing openly.

Kanji hesitated, unsure of how to reply past stammers and incoherent words, and he could feel his own face heating up in embarrassment at the people murmuring and staring.

“Senpai, please let go! People are staring!”

Souji quickly straightened up, looking at the keychain in his hands before he dashed off in excitement, showing the nearest person the object. Kanji could hear the teen gush and rave about Kanji's gift, and the younger teen buried his face in his hands. It was just a stupid rabbit keychain...

* * *

**[Solicit]**

“Souji! Souji!!”

The teen turned as his name was called, chewing absentmindedly on his chocolate bar as Chie came running up to him, her face glowing red with something other than exertion. She stopped short a few steps in front of him, avoiding his gaze and fidgeting awkwardly with the hem of her skirt. He continued to chew on his snack slowly, lightly cocking his head to the side as he stared at the girl.

“What's up?”

Chie looked at him in an instant, bewilderment and furious astonishment fired in her eyes. “I-I-I need to speak to your uncle! He's a cop, right?!”

Souji nodded slowly, taking another bite from his chocolate before nodding at the store behind them. “He'll be out in a sec. Gettin' some tofu.” He paused for a moment, staring off into space as he pushed the chocolate to one side of his mouth before he resumed, “I forgot why we need tofu.”

“I don't care about your stupid tofu!! Something creepy happened and—”

The two turned as they heard Dojima exit the store, the man sighing as he neared the teens, rubbing the back of his head as he mumbled under his breath. He stopped, looking between the two in slight confusion.

“D-Dojima-san, Sir!” Chie stuttered, bowing quickly, fidgeting even more. “I-I need to report an incident!”

Dojima's eyebrows shot up in surprise before lowering in seriousness. “Well, I'm off the clock... but, all right. What happened?”

“I think a perv tried to solicit me to make porn!” Her face lit up even darker shades of red, her body tensing and tears welting in her eyes. “Before I realized what the creep was asking, he was already long gone and Yosuke was laughing his stupid ass off!”

Dojima's brow furrowed even more, the man digging out his cellphone, only to look in horror as Souji shrugged at Chie's tale nonchalantly, taking another bite of his chocolate.

“I make porn all the time.”

“Speaking of which,” Dojima jumped and turned, wild-eyed at Adachi suddenly skipping up behind him. “We getting ready for act two tonight, Souji-kun?”

Adachi's screams could be heard throughout Inaba as he ran through the streets from Dojima. Souji and Chie gave chase, the teen calmly trying to explain to his uncle that it was just a joke, and Chie hollering that her situation wasn't. Along the way, they found the creep that had asked Chie in the first place, Dojima handcuffing him to Adachi as he led them back to the station. He made Chie drag Souji along by his ear, who continued to slowly much on his chocolate the entire way.

* * *

**[Terror]**

“I'm home,” Dojima announced, closing the door behind him and glancing up to the ceiling at the sound of a door slamming. Taking off his shoes, he stepped into the living room, Nanako looking up the stairs in confusion from her usual spot. Past the girl's show on TV, he could hear the sound of his nephew retching. A frown cornered his face as he walked to the living room and sat on the couch, scratching the back of his head.

“Sounds like Souji's sick,” he mumbled, Nanako looking at him sadly.

“Should we see if he's okay?”

Dojima nodded blankly, the two slowly slipping up the stairs, Nanako shuddering and gulping as the sound of Souji heaving grew clearer. Standing outside the bathroom, Dojima knocked lightly on the door, Nanako clinging tightly to his waist.

“Do you need anything?”

“No...” was the strained and muffled answer. “I'll... I'll be fine.”

“You need anything, you just holler, all right? No good having you strain yourself if you're sick.”

“Yeah...” There was a long pause. “Thanks, Uncle.”

Dojima frowned, hesitant about Souji's reply. He looked to Nanako and gave her a short nod, the two walking back down the stairs into the living room, Nanako perching herself on her pillow and Dojima collapsing back onto the couch. It was a couple of minutes before he heard Souji leave the bathroom and go back to his room—doors clicking shut quietly instead of slammed in a panic. He watched his daughter practically bounce on her seat as her favourite show started—Something Loveline—and he couldn't help but smile. Trying to keep his attention on the show itself, however, was a different story, and he found himself drifting off to sleep around halfway through.

His hazy sleep didn't last long when there was a loud _thump_ from upstairs. Jumping off the couch, he strode up the stairs, and he could hear Nanako pattering closely behind him. He quickly knocked on the door to Souji's room, asking if the teen was alright. He didn't receive a reply, but he could hear the frantic sobbing from his nephew, could feel Nanako gripping tightly onto his pant leg as he tried to open the door. Souji had locked it. Gritting his teeth, he told Nanako to wait at the end of the hall, the girl reluctantly doing so. She held her hands close to herself, watching in wide-eyed fear as Dojima rolled his shoulders and took a step back in the small space.

“Souji, I need you to unlock the door, or I'll have to kick it down. I don't want to do that.” Dojima frowned, concern flooding his system as the teen's only reply was to continue his frantic sobbing.

Taking a deep breath, Dojima took to great steps before kicking the door near the lock, driving his heel into it. The door shook in protest, but didn't give in. Taking the steps back, he did it again, and again, cursing as he could see Nanako flinch from the corner of his eye at every kick. When the door finally caved in on the fifth kick, Dojima stumbled forward into the room, pushing the door back out of the way is it wobbled back towards him. Souji was collapsed in the space between his folded up futon and his desk, the chair toppled on the floor, piece of paper sprawled around and underneath him. The teen was curled in a ball, trembling and sobbing helplessly, clutching onto his wrist where blood pooled out rapidly, staining the floor and the paper around him.

Dojima stood shell-shocked, only registering to move when Nanako gasped in horror behind him. He ordered her to grab some towels from the bathroom, probably more demanding than he should have, running up to his nephew and rolling him onto his back. Dojima grabbed his wounded arm and lifted it high, noting that Souji had cut along his arm instead of across the wrist. Shit. _Shit_. He was going to bleed out.

Souji was looking at him, unadulterated fear stitched onto his face as his quaking sobs filled the room.

“I'm sorry... I'm sorry...” he choked out, voice cracking and breaking as his eyes shut, lip trembling. “It's not easy... Not easy... I'm sorry...”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**[Answer]**

Rise stumbled, nearly falling to the floor as Souji ripped his arm away from her. The idol blinked in confusion as she stopped short of the floor, Naoto helping her back to her feet. She frowned, turning on her heel to glare at the older teen.

“Hey, Senpai! What was that for?!”

“Don't grab my arm again,” he mumbled darkly, glaring back at the girl, shivers crawling down her spine.

“But I ju—you were j—you never cared _before_!” she hollered, stamping her foot to the floor impatiently.

The rest of the group muttered amongst themselves, Naoto and Yukiko lightly pulling Rise away as Souji's look grew more intense. Their leader said nothing more, silently turning before storming back into the building. The remainder of the team stood awkwardly, Rise shaking where she stood as Yukiko tried to console her.

“...Now I ain't hungry for lunch anymore...” Kanji mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

The teens all nodded numbly in response.

* * *

**[Bored]**

A thick fog filled the streets, blanketing the buildings and sky from view. Stray rocks echoed when they were kicked down the sidewalk, man hunched over with hands in his pockets as he scoured down the empty streets. The man hummed to himself, the tune haunting amidst the atmosphere. He continued on his way aimlessly, cocking his head to the side, but keeping his gaze focused upwards while he sauntered through the foggy night.

He could see nothing. A smirk fell on his lips, a dark chuckle emitting from his throat as he shook his head. Nothing at all? Really? Now that was no fun.

* * *

**[Cater]**

“Yosuke!”

The brunette turned in exasperation, scowl on his face as Souji clapped his hands twice, face poised like one of those snooty-rich brats from back in the city. Yosuke turned back to the customers he was assisting, apologizing profusely before calling another co-worker to assist them as he stormed over to his friend, ignoring the snickering Chie at Souji's side.

“Sup, dude?” he questioned, rubbing his hands off on his apron on his approach.

Yosuke's eyebrow twitched at the high-and-mighty glance Souji was giving him, the teen even standing on his tip-toes to appear even taller. Chie's giggle fit was turning into a snort-fest, the girl bent over and clutching her sides, another hand cupped over her mouth. He could see tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Blinking at her slowly, he turned back to look at Souji, who had his head tilted high, looking as tall as he possibly could, a monotone hum coming from his throat as he looked down at Yosuke.

“Yes, dude, what can I help you with?” he sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I will NOT be addressed in such a manner, peon!” Souji huffed, crossing his arms and tilting lightly on his toes before regaining balance. “You will address me as 'Your Majesty'!”

Yosuke rolled his eyes as Chie's laughs grew louder, ignoring the looks and stares and murmurs from nearby customers.

“Okay, fine, _Your Majesty_ ,” Yosuke rolled his eyes again, spitting out the words as he mustered out a half-assed curtsy. “What do you want?”

“Escort me to the bathroom.”

“Oh, for fuck's sakes, man. They're just down th—”

Souji shook his head, sticking his nose as high in the air as possible. “That will not do! You must ESCORT me there—nay, you must CARRY me there! I will not dirty my shoes any further, especially not on the disgusting establishments of a public bathroom! You will also unzip my pants for m—”

Yosuke jumped, pushing Souji down on the flats of feet by grabbing onto his shoulders before covering his friend's mouth with his hand. He glared at Chie, practically doubled over laughing, wheezing and coughing off to the side as she leaned on a nearby stand for support before glaring back at Souji. He could feel the smirk under his hand, and the devilish glint in Souji's eyes shone as bright as the sun and Yosuke dropped his head, sighing.

“What do you want, man?” he asked again, slowly taking his hand off of Souji's face before letting it drop back to his side.

“You owe me one hundred dollars.”

Yosuke froze, looking up at the haunting expression on Souji's face. Sweat rolled down his brow, and he found himself laughing out of nervousness.

“I-I-I totally forgot! Dude, you have to forg—”

Souji coughed, “ _'Your Majesty'._ ”

Yosuke gulped. Shit, he was so screwed.

* * *

**[Disaster]**

How did a simple question turn into them slamming their fists down on the table and getting up to yell at each other? He wasn't quite sure, but he didn't find himself backing down when his uncle ended up spitting all over him in a fit of fury, the man's face tickled red with rage. He could feel the heat of anger flushing his own face as well, his hands clenched tightly at his sides as he yelled back. His throat was starting to hurt, and both of their voices were cracking.

“Guys, calm down! You're scaring Nanako!”

Souji stopped, turning wide-eyed to look at Adachi who had remained seated, Nanako sitting behind him,burying her face in his jacket as he held her in a half hug. She was peeking out sheepishly, watched the fight with tear-filled eyes. His cheek hurt, a ' _snap_ ' whipping through the air when his vision was suddenly shot to look in the other direction. He heard Nanako gasp, her crying audibly muffled as she sobbed into Adachi's jacket. His uncle had stopped yelling—all he could hear was the man's heavy breathing.

Souji slowly brought a hand up to his cheek, fingers brushing the tender skin as he looked to his relative in horror, the man's face pale past his furious flush. Dojima's fist was still hanging in the air from the impact, his eyes wide and terrified. His lips moved as he struggled to find words, Souji continuing to merely hold the fingers to his burning cheek in silence.

“S-Souji, I—I--a-are you okay?”

The teen didn't reply. He stood there, basking in the situation as it felt like everything fell out around him. Moments passed as he stood, trying to collect his non-existent thoughts, trying to calm his racing heart and burning skin. He flinched when Dojima lightly grabbed his shoulder in concern, and he found himself fleeing from the house, hastily slipping on his shoes as he darted outside into the stormy night. He heard his uncle call after him, but he didn't stop. He didn't even look back.

* * *

**[Entertain]**

Souji was starting to realize that this had been a bad idea.

“Ow! Hey—be careful!”

He winced and whined as the kids pulled and grabbed at him, one of them even managing to climb up to his shoulders to start pulling on his hair. He could hear the other caretakers cooing and giggling at his predicament, the kids weighing him down as he struggled to move and not topple over. Shadows, he could deal with. This... this was terrifying! Terrible! And he had no backup!

He turned his head as much as he could, trying to get the attention of the women sitting at the table, tears welling up in his eyes as the kid on his back dug fingers into his nostrils and mouth, pulling up. The children continued to scream and holler, Souji jumping back harshly as one bit into his leg, resulting in a slow and clunky spin as he struggled to stay upright with all of the randomized weight. He was never good with kids—Nanako, he was fine with. She was his cousin, for one, and she entertained herself with TV. This was a terrible idea; why did he sign up for this?

There was a bunch of crying and screaming when someone bit into his leg again, causing the teen to finally topple over. Needless to say, he wasn't getting a pay check.

* * *

**[Flaming]**

Yosuke paled, hugging himself as they stood outside the sauna. Sensual music played from inside the labyrinth, the brunette feeling his stomach twist and churn into knots as he feared for his innocent self. He didn't want to step foot in there! There was no way he was going to! _No_ way!

He quickly looked over to Souji, hoping his friend was just as terrified as he. Muffled sounds of horror squeaked out of him as he watched Souji throw his uniform to the floor, slowly unbuttoning his shirt and ripping it open, sauntering into the sauna without a word. There was silence as they watched him disappear into the dungeon alone.

“...Did he really just do that, or am I hallucinating from the heat already?” Chie muttered in astonishment.

Teddie was rocking back and forth, blush somehow patterned on the bear's fur. “Wow... Sensei's so cool!”

They watched as Souji came out moments later, face deadpan as he patted down the fire on his sleeve until it was gone.

“It's hot.”

* * *

**[Goad]**

“Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds?”

“Yes, but I know wh—”

“Tell you what; I can't investigate such an insane plea, but if you think this TV channel is going to show a string of victims, why don't you try saving them yourself? I have to go now. It was a pleasure talking to you. Have a good night.”

He held the phone to his ear even after the line went dead. The detective on the other end had ended the call with a short fit of giggles, yet, as he looked to the TV in front of him, he knew he was right. He knew what he had to do to save the next person that appeared.

* * *

**[Hollow]**

Vibrations shot through his leg as his phone buzzed in his pocket. It had been going off every couple of minutes, Souji ignoring it every time. He had the thought of just turning the device off, but something had made him refrain from doing so. He wandered through the streets of Inaba, his cheek still stinging furiously as the rain soaked through his clothes and seeped into his skin. He could see his breath in the cold air, watching as the vapour disappeared quickly. He found himself shivering, hugging himself when he finally realized he had ran out in nothing but his pajamas.

He found himself wandering aimlessly, shivering uncontrollably, his fingers freezing as they gripped into his wet sleeves. He could barely feel them, along with his feet in his drenched shoes. The only thing reminding him of what warmth felt like was the continuing burn on his cheek—the feeling like it was fresh. He wasn't sure how long he'd been walking around, unwilling to check his phone for the time as it continued to buzz feverishly in his pocket every other minute. It stopped eventually, Souji finally digging the object out of his pocket only to find the battery had died.

His legs were starting to give way under him, and the teen struggled to keep himself upright. He was at the strip mall—Rise and Kanji were most likely home, but he couldn't bring it in himself to bother them. They were busy, probably. He didn't have to bother them with his problems. He found himself hugging his arms even tighter, stepping heavily up the stairs to the shrine as he spared a glance at Tatsumi's Textiles. He stopped for a moment, debating a visit at his friend's before he shook his head and trudged on, clambering under the shrine's roof and sitting on the floor, curling himself in a ball as he breathed into his hands, trying to warm them up.

His cheek still burned.

* * *

**[Intimate]**

“Well, the group date was a giant bust...”

“I liked it.”

The group turned to stare at Souji, except for Kanji, who turned the other way and coughed into his hand, his face glowing red.

* * *

**[Jeer]**

Dojima squinted in disbelief, taking a short sip of his coffee as he stared Adachi down. “Did... you just mock me, Adachi?”

The younger detective blinked slowly, starting to twirl a pencil absentmindedly between his fingers. “Uuuuh.... no, sir?”

Dojima continued to squint, taking another short, contemplative sip of his beverage.

* * *

**[Knife]**

The blade traced his jawline, light enough to not cause any bleeding. His breaths came out trembling, fingers curling nervously around the arm rests, ignoring the itch of the rope as it dug around his wrists. He whimpered, the blade trailing down his neck, lightly following the veins. He could feel the assailant's breath on his nose, unable to see the person past the blindfold tightly bound across his eyes.

“Now, tell me, you little shit,” the man purred, suddenly yanking the knife away and slamming it into the chair beside his head. Souji squeaked, adrenaline shooting through his system in a panic as he felt the side of his head start to burn. “You're gonna tell me what I want without any issues, are we clear? I know what you've b... wait... shit... what was the line again?”

“CUT!”

The surroundings filled with bubbling voices and movement, Souji blinking as the blindfold and binds were removed. He stood and cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders as he watched the actor review his script again.

Rise ran up to him starry-eyed and near tears. “Senpai, you're amazing! Your fear felt so genuine!”

The rest of the his friends ran up, Yosuke hobbling in his cumbersome outfit, cursing the entire while.

“Seriously, man! Shit, how do you do it? You were givin' me goosebumps! Look!”

Kanji thrust his arm in front of Souji's face, the teen laughing before he pushed Kanji's arm back down. The rest of his friends cooed in awe and amazement, Souji continuing to laugh and shrug in response.

When they finally gave him a chance to speak, a smirk cornered his lips and he tilted his head to the side, looking at his friends darkly. “Just wait until we get to the part where _I_ have the knife. The show will really start there.”

His smirk only widened as his friends laughed in fear.

“Dude, you're starting to freak me out,” Yosuke whined after a moment. “Seriously. Stop looking at us like that.”

* * *

**[Less]**

Crowded. It was the first word that came to mind when he stepped off the platform, looking in confusion for his parents. It was so crowded—had the city always been this crowded?

He took a couple of hesitant steps forward, looking through the heaps of people, suddenly overcome with dizziness and nausea. People bumped into him and muttered apologies, or said nothing at all. Noise drowned out his thoughts, and he was finding it hard to focus, to breathe. Staggering, unsure of where to go, the teen eyed a bench nearby and hobbled towards it, placing his bags on his feet as he sat down and hugged himself. A headache jolted suddenly through his skull as it felt like the crowd grew louder with each passing second, his chest aching and his mind wavering.

He jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder, looking up and blinking madly at his parents, who were looking down on him in concern. They quickly scurried out of the station, Souji feigning sleep through the car ride and dragging himself to his room when they finally made it home. He didn't remember his room being quite so big. There was so much furniture stacked inside, but there was still so much space to move around in. He breathed in a sigh and closed his eyes, finding it funny how he felt homesick when he arrived in Inaba, and now he felt homesick _for_ Inaba.

* * *

**[Mad]**

“Souji!” Chie screamed in terror as he jumped in front of her, bullet grazing off his sword as he tried to deflect it, only to lodge into his shoulder.

He yelled in pain, dropping the sword as his arm trembled, the weapon falling to the floor with a harsh clang. He watched as Adachi's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, before he flicked his gun to aim at Naoto. Souji darted, screaming again as he just barely managed to shield his friend from the bullet, which drove into his rib cage. It continued, Souji running where Adachi would point his gun at his friends, the teens screaming in horror and telling Souji to stop as the bullets continued to sink into him.

He was coughing up blood, clutching onto his sides as he felt everything bleed. Yukiko, Teddie, and Yosuke all tried to get near to heal him, only to be blocked by Magatsu Izanagi. He fell to his knees in a heap, Rise crying behind him.

Adachi was focused on him, the gun shaking in his hand as his expression was cornered in unfiltered rage. “Quit trying to be a fucking hero!” he screeched, waving his gun around madly before aiming it back at Chie.

Souji struggled to his feet, only to collapse and fall into the dirt, watching hopelessly with wavering vision as Adachi pulled the trigger. There was a pause—no sound of a gunshot as silence cornered the area. He could see Adachi turn to look at him, livid and completely engulfed in fury before the world dissolved into black.

* * *

**[Near]**

He was sure he sat there for hours, trying to warm himself up. The rain didn't let up, if anything, it only fell down even faster and harsher. He wriggled his toes in his shoes, face straining in pain as they burned in their cold and wet state. He pushed his head back down, breathing into his hands and rubbing them together. They'd warmed up, but it wasn't enough. It felt like they shot straight back to frozen when he stopped. His cheek continued to burn.

He didn't look when he heard footsteps wading through the puddles.

“Senpai, you're soaked.” He tensed at Kanji's voice, unsure of how to react to the younger teen's presence.

There was silence, and he could hear his friend shivering, shifting in his place before the sound of an umbrella snapping shut echoed past the rain. His breath caught in his throat when he felt Kanji sit next to him and he stopped wringing his hands. Souji shut his eyes, suddenly aware at how much he was trembling, how terribly his breath was shaking, how hard he was crying.

“You okay, Senpai?” Kanji mumbled, voice distant and scared. “Your uncle phoned us. Apparently phoned everyone else too. So uh... Nanako-chan won't stop cryin' since you ran out, and he's been lookin' for ya for the past hour and a half. I saw you walkin' up the stairs to the shrine, so I told everyone and...”

Kanji trailed off, sighing angrily. Souji could hear him shuffle around, only to lift his head slightly when he felt a coat drape across his shoulders. He slowly turned to look at Kanji, the younger teen glaring at him in concern, before his features spread into shock.

“Holy shit, your cheek! Are you okay?! What the fuck happened?!”

Kanji didn't let him answer, the teen angrily stomping to his feet and opening his umbrella, grabbing onto Souji's forearm and dragging him to his feet and down the stairs, straight to his home. Throwing the door open, Kanji kicked off his shoes and discarded the umbrella to the floor, staring heavily until Souji managed to pull off his soaking shoes. Kanji continued to shove the older teen inside, pushing him to the bathroom. Before Souji could do anything, Kanji was already starting a bath, grumbling to himself as he fiddled with the temperature. Souji looked around awkwardly, digging his fingers into the leather coat around his shoulders, trying to drape it closer to himself.

Kanji sniffed, rubbing his nose with his thumb as he stood. “Towels are on the door. I'll find some clothes I don't wear much that you can borrow. I need to talk with my Ma 'bout somethin'. Get in the bath while I do, and I ain't takin' no for an answer, you hear me, Senpai?!”

Like before, Kanji didn't let him answer, stalking out the door and closing it roughly behind him. Souji blinked slowly in confusion, looking at the door as he heard Kanji holler for his mother, the woman hollering back. The teen rubbed his face with his palms, wincing as his cheek stabbed in aggravation. He slowly draped the coat onto the hanger on the door, pacing slowly and hesitantly as he eyed the bath, before turning to look at the mirror on the wall.

He brought a shaky hand to hover close to his face as he looked at his reflection in disbelief, eyeing his bruised and swollen cheek.

* * *

**[Open]**

Adachi found it odd when the door to his office opened and Dojima wasn't the one standing in the doorway. He blinked in confusion at the meek looking Souji, standing nervously as he peered into the room.

“You can come in, Souji-kun, I won't bite.” Adachi smiled softly, watching the teen who nodded numbly, looking back out into the station before closing the door behind him.

Souji shuffled to a nearby chair and sat down, fidgeting with his sleeves. Quickly, Adachi finished scribbling the rest of the sentence he'd been writing before focusing his attention back on Souji, who continued to keep his head low, glancing to the floor and fuss with his clothing. The detective tilted his head as he leaned across the desk, lips pursed in a concerned grin.

“What's wrong? I don't think I've ever seen you so uneasy. Do you want me to get Dojima-s—”

“NO!” Adachi jumped at Souji's sudden outburst, the teen's face quickly flushing red before he looked back to the floor. “No. No, uncle can't know I was here.”

Adachi stared at Souji incredulously, before shifting out of his chair and kneeling in front of him, eyeing the teen closely who continued to refuse to meet his gaze.

“What happened? Are you in trouble?” he inquired, eyebrows stitching together when Souji didn't respond. “Souji, you came here for a reason. You can tell me.”

The teen sighed and nodded, slowly turning to look at the detective. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath before admitting, “I drank some of uncle's beer.”

Adachi lowered his head in defeat, scratching the back of his neck before he stood up and leaned against his desk. He smiled calmly, patting Souji on the shoulder. “That's it? Just come clean, Souji. You're a teenager, he'll understand.”

“But what if he doesn't? What if he gets mad?”

Adachi sighed, “I'm sure he won't. Look, you have two options. You can either lie and say you didn't do it, or you can tell him you did it. Maybe he won't even notice, but what if he does? Do you think you can lie to him? You think you can avoid him forever over a couple of beers?”

Souji looked up timidly, shy grin on his face as he shrugged. “I could try?”

Before Adachi could reply, the door opened again, the two turning as Dojima walked in with papers in hand.

“Adachi, I need you t... what's going on?” he asked, looking from Adachi to his nephew in confusion.

Adachi smirked, “Souji's got something to say to you, isn't that right?” He pat the teen on the shoulder and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him as he could feel Souji's betrayed stare follow him the entire way.

* * *

**[Pander]**

Yosuke fell to the floor, crying at Souji's feet as he grabbed onto his ankles. “Please, dude—Your Majesty—just stop this torture already!” he cried, looking up at his friend past his tears. “I can't take it anymore! I'd prefer serving the girls who change their mind every five seconds in the food court! Pleeeeeeeeease!”

Souji looked down and pursed his lips in contemplation. “When's your next pay check?”

Yosuke froze. “N-Next week...”

He cried even harder at Souji's smirk.

* * *

**[Quit]**

He threw the gun to the floor, glaring at the teen before collapsing into the chair behind him. He buried his face in his hands as he tilted his head back, sighing deeply in annoyance.

* * *

**[Reset]**

It had happened again—he was on the train back to Inaba. It had just left the station to bring him back into the city, but the minute it exited the tunnel, he found himself staring back out at Inaba's scenery, phone buzzing in his pocket with a text that read 'Meet you outside the station'.

He would meet his relatives at the station, his cousin cowering in shyness behind her father. He would re-introduce himself to his friends. He would remember the answers to the tests that never changed. He would change between joining the drama club or music club. He would hear the inconsistencies in Adachi's voice, the genuine sides and the facades.

He knew the truth the moment he stepped off the platform, but continued to go along as if he was experiencing it for the first time. A year would pass, he would leave, and it would start all over again.

Maybe this time, he'd do something different...

* * *

**[Soft]**

He reluctantly had clambered into the bath, basking in the warmth as he tried to refrain himself from crying more. His cheek only seemed to burn and pulse faster with the sudden realization of how harshly his uncle had hit him, and it was all he could to keep terrifying memories pushed into the back of his mind.

He soaked in the water for a long time, faintly acknowledging Kanji when he hollered that he had placed the spare clothes outside the door. He zoned out, absentmindedly watching as he dragged his hands through the water, lightly kicking his legs around as the warmth imbued into his skin, staving off the cold and bringing life back to his body. He looked up in curiosity at a muffled conversation he could hear further on in the house, squinting in confusion when he heard a third voice. Slowly, he pulled himself out of the bath and dried himself off, opening the door and snatching the spare clothes. He tugged at the pants uncomfortably—they were much too long and big. Even drawing the string to tighten them didn't help much. He didn't mind the baggy shirt, but he found himself having to give up with the pants as they draped over his feet and dragged on the floor.

He silently crept through the house, heading closer to the voices before he squeaked in surprise as he walked straight into Kanji. His friend yelped in surprise as well, both of the teens taking steps back, Souji sliding on the pant legs until he crashed to the floor. They looked at each other in astonishment, Kanji quickly regaining his composure before helping Souji to his feet. Souji blinked in shock for a moment, before he found himself laughing, Kanji chuckling lightly in confusion before the two were both howling and clutching their sides.

Souji straightened up, wiping away the stray tears from his eyes as he calmed down, coughing lightly as he pat Kanji on the shoulder, smile on his face. “Thank you, Kanji.”

Kanji rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, well, it's no problem. Wish I could find you pants that fit better. Oh, but, my ma wanted to see you. C'mon.”

Fumbling for a sec as he rolled up the pant legs as much as he could, Souji followed Kanji quickly through the house, freezing when they entered the living room. Seated at the table was Kanji's mother, and across from her was Dojima, stiff and tense as the woman made conversation. Dojima briefly glanced at them when they walked in, before his attention was fully diverted on Souji, and the teen could see his uncle pale, eyes widening in regret. Kanji's mother stopped mid-sentence, looking over her shoulder Dojima's sudden change in demeanour, her smile fading when she caught sight of Souji.

Standing to her feet, the woman stalked over to Souji, who kept his focus on his uncle until she stood in front of him, tilting her head and humming as she observed the bruise on his face. She nodded to herself, pushing Kanji out of the room.

“Come now, dear, it's terrible to have guests without some tea. Help me make some.”

“But, Ma, I thought you wanted t—”

“Shush.”

The two skirted out of the room, leaving Souji and Dojima to look at each other awkwardly. The teen chewed on his lip nervously, darting his gaze to the floor as he rubbed his arm, tears welling up in his eyes again. He watched as Dojima sighed, scratching his head before jumping up from his seat. He stood there, grumbling to himself and taking a couple of steps towards Souji before stopping.

There was silence between the two for a long time, Souji trying to focus on the light voices he could hear from Kanji and his mother in the kitchen. It didn't help, unable to tune into their words, only making him more aggravated and nervous than he already was. Swallowing the lump in the back of his throat, Souji lifted his head, taking a deep breath as he looked his uncle in the eye, blinking as his vision blurred with tears.

“I'm sorry...” Dojima said quietly, Souji catching a slight waver in his voice. “I... I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have hit you. I am so _so_ sorry, Souji. I know it's not enough, but I just... dammit... I'm so sorry.”

Souji watched as his uncle wiped at his eyes furiously, the teen's face falling at the sight of his uncle crying so openly. Dojima continued to mutter apologies and curses, obviously struggling to figure out what he wanted to say, his body growing tense in anger at himself and eyes shining with tears and grief. Souji's breath caught in his throat as Dojima's lip trembled, his voice cracking and trembling, and he found himself taking a couple of steps forward before his foot snagged on the now-unrolled pant leg. It felt like he was falling in slow motion as he tripped, about to crash to the floor before he felt his uncle grab him by the arms, lightly straightening him up before letting go.

There was a short moment before Souji buried his face into his uncle's shirt, gripping onto the man as he wept. Dojima hesitated, before returning the hug, his voice so quiet as he continued apologizing over and over again.

* * *

**[Twin]**

Souji looked on as Adachi summoned his persona, his heart hammering in his chest and grip on his sword faltering at the sight of another Izanagi. It was twisted and distorted in colour, limbs cracking with every moment as it swung towards him. Souji snapped out of his trance, barely summoning Izanagi in time to block the blow, the force sending him flying backwards.

He rolled along the ground, yelping in pain as he was tossed like a rag doll, losing his sword halfway until he finally came to a halt. Souji grit his teeth, pushing himself off the ground with his elbows as he squinted, trying to find his glasses through the fog.

He heard Adachi's footsteps, and the crackling electricity from the persona behind him.

“One wrong move and you could have ended up like me,” Adachi hissed. “But you got the good path, didn't you? You make me sick.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

**[Attack]**

Adachi was on the floor, holding a hand to his head. There was a short moment of pause, Souji trying to collect his breath and assess the condition of his friends. They were all worn out and injured, just like he was, breathing heavily but continuing to stand despite their shaking legs.

"Guys, what are you waiting for?!" Rise hollered from behind them, "Here's your opening!"

Souji straightened, hands gripping back tightly onto his sword as he eyed the murderer on the floor. He found himself hesitating, only for a moment, before he was charging. He didn't get very far, halting in surprise when Adachi was suddenly alert, head snapping to attention and intense gaze fixated on him. Magatsu Izanagi was summoned behind the man without a word, the surroundings covered in dust. He could distantly hear his friends screaming out in confusion, calling for each other. He tried to listen, to figure out where everyone was as the thick dust continued to surround them heavily, harsh winds obscuring any chance he had of locating his friends.

Just as he turned his head, the dust parted in front of him, Adachi charging with Magatsu Izanagi in tow. A moment's hesitation and shock was all it took for him to get pushed back, unable to summon his persona or block as he was suddenly barraged with blows. His trembling legs could barely hold his weight as he struggled to keep his ground and block the attacks, cuts stinging deep into his arms and torso, invisible punches slamming into his ribs.

He'd dropped his sword. It was a sudden realization in the midst of the onslaught, and he couldn't help but question when he dropped it before he found himself flying, skidding and rolling to a stop on the ground behind him. He could feel himself teetering over the edge of Magatsu Inaba. Through hazy vision, he watched the dust cloud disappear at once, the blurred figure of Adachi stalking towards him. He could hear his friends coughing before suddenly screaming in alert at the danger he was in. He could see them moving, personas flaring in the skies behind them, but Adachi was already there, heel digging into his shoulder and pushing him off the edge.

Before he was pushed over the side completely, Souji brought out his arm and gripped onto the detective's ankle. The man fell with him.

* * *

**[Bury]**

"Big Bro...? Are you okay? What are you doing?"

He didn't respond to Nanako, focusing on the hole he was digging with the small shovel.

"Big Bro, is that a cat? Are they okay? Big Bro? Big Bro, why are you crying?"

* * *

**[Cradle]**

He woke up screaming. Crying. He was scrambling and flailing and falling and hitting everything in his path in his panic before he found himself bolting out the door. He screamed even louder when he was suddenly picked into a hug, before he quelled it into sobs as his uncle lowered him to the floor, hugging him tightly.

* * *

**[Dread]**

Dojima was towering over him, and Souji could feel the scowl on his back. The concerned glance he could feel Nanako hold bore into his side. His heart hammered as he stared at the letter in his hands, his fingers trembling as they gripped into the paper. The words in the center were disjointed and scrawled out hastily, like the letter from before.

" _if you don't stop this time someone close will be put in and killed_ "

A cold chill shot through his spine, his vision spotting before snapping into place as the letter was ripped from his hands. Turning to look at his uncle in a panic, he felt the blood drain from his face, his body trembling as his relative's expression went from shock to disappointed fury.

"What the hell is this?!" Dojima yelled, throwing the paper back at him. "I told you  _not_  to get involved in the case!"

His mind blanked as he watched his uncle rant and rave, pacing and running his hands through his hair. He noticed Nanako from the corner of his eye, the girl standing in her spot, hands held tight to her chest as she watched in fear and confusion. It felt like his heart was racing faster, his chest boiling in pain as the room around him seemed so distant as his mind raced.

"I-I can explain!" he yelled, finding himself breathing heavily, hands curled into fists on his lap as he looked to his uncle with wide-eyes. The man stopped his frantic pacing, his eyes squinted as he looked to his nephew. Souji felt his stomach twist in knots, his mouth dry and lump in the back of his throat as he swallowed. Both relatives were looking at him, watching him. It felt like the world was on his shoulders.

Dojima's words came out dry, but Souji thought he heard his voice crack as he said, "Explain it, then."

He stared blankly at the floor for a hesitant moment, his breathing quick and shallow as his heart continued to hammer mercilessly in his chest, the chills still running rampant down his spine and through his veins. His mind wandered in circles, running into empty void after empty void. He heard his uncle sigh in exasperation, the words he muttered lost to him. He found himself abruptly picked up by his arm and his system flared into a panic, his eyes darting to the television in the corner of the room.

Ripping his arm from his uncle's grasp, he darted to the TV. "I can show you!" he belted, his uncle stopping in his tracks from where he went to chase the teen.

Looking from his uncle to his terrified cousin, Souji gulped, his breaths still coming out hard and heavy, headache forming and drowning out any sense of reason. His body froze again as he looked to his hand, slowly opening his fist. He was shaking so much. He could feel his knees knocking together, his teeth chattering as his blood ran cold.

"Souji, if you're just stalling for time, then—"

He stuck his hand inside the TV.

* * *

**[Electrify]**

"Adachi-san, shake my hand!"

Adachi looked at the teen in confusion before hesitantly gripping onto his hand. A shock immediately jumped up his arm and the man ripped it back, shaking his hand in the air as he glared at the teen, Nanako giggling beside him,

"Now you have super powers!" she laughed. "Pew pew!"

* * *

**[Fire]**

"C-C-C-C-Can't y-you b-build a f-f-f-fire or s-s-s-somethin'?" Kanji stammered, huddling himself to the corner of the shack as he shook uncontrollably from the cold.

"W-W-W-What the f-f-fuck d-do you th-think I'm d-doing?" Yosuke replied, desperately searching around the empty shack for anything to start a fire.

Without a word, Souji grabbed Yosuke by the hood of his jacket and grabbed Teddie's paw, dragging them over to where Kanji was sitting and shoving them on the floor next to him. After they looked at him in confusion, Souji propped himself on the floor in front of Kanji's legs, grabbing the younger teens arms to wrap around him and pulling Yosuke and Teddie close.

He closed his eyes in bliss. "G-Group hugs are b-better than a f-fire."

"D-Dude, you've l-l-lost y-you're mind."

* * *

**[Gone]**

There was a sudden rush of dust and dirt, whirling around them so fast Yosuke couldn't help but shield his eyes out of reflex. He found it hard to keep his feet in place, the winds pushing him slightly backwards. He could barely hear everyone past the raging winds, and he jumped when something grabbed onto his arm. He looked over his shoulder to find Naoto, the detective struggling to keep hold of her hat. She tried to tell him something, but even at their short distance, he couldn't understand a word out of her mouth. It looked like she was about to try speaking again, only to be interrupted at a sudden flash in the center of the tornado.

The duo looked, the flash gone in an instant. He squinted, thinking he saw them further down in the dust, lighting up frequently before they finally disappeared with the tornado. Coughing as the dust cleared, his eyes widened as he saw Souji far-off in the distance, in the direction the lights had been. He could barely see him from where he was, but he wasn't looking good, and Adachi was headed right for him.

Yelling for Souji, Yosuke summoned his persona and ran, Naoto following right after. He could see Chie and Kanji out of the corner of his eye doing the same, and no doubt Yukiko and Teddie were following them. Chie managed to bolt past him, screaming as she readied an attack from Tomoe as they watched Adachi rolling Souji off the edge of the platform.

"NO!" he screamed, watching as Souji fell over the side. Adachi fell with him. It all happened so fast—he wasn't quite sure what had happened.

Chie skid to a halt, fist hanging loosely in the air as Tomoe disappeared behind her before she collapsed to the floor. Yosuke ran past her, heart hammering in fear as he slid to the edge, knees scraping along the broken floor as he peered over the side. His eyes scanned the distorted red sky of Magatsu Inaba—but it was all he saw. Red, red, red. There was no trace of Adachi. There was no trace of his best friend.

No, no, no that couldn't be it. He had to be there! Souji had to be somewhere! Picking himself up, he ran to another part of the platform, knees scraping along the floor as he looked over the edge again, eyes quickly scanning the area before he darted to another segment. As he got to his feet to run to another part, he found himself tripping over his feet and skidding to the floor, his face scraping against the ground. His body refused to move and he found himself laying there in a heap before he cried into his arms.

* * *

**[Heavy]**

When Adachi's body fell from the manifestation of Ameno-Sagiri, the group cried in confusion when Souji went dashing to grab him before he crashed to the floor.

Souji fell to the floor in a pained heap after catching the man, Adachi unconscious. He looked so thin, but Souji couldn't lift him off. He was pinned to the floor, whining until Kanji helped him up.

* * *

**[Makeup]**

"I think Chie did good on your makeup. It really brings out your eyes."

"Y-You really thi—wait, no, shut up. Shut up and don't talk to me ever again."

"...But I'm serious."

"And THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS ALL WORSE!"

* * *

**[Nightmare]**

He watched Nanako's face contort in terror, the girl squeaking as she ran to hide behind her father. He looked to his uncle, the man's face contorted in shock and disbelief. Past his heartbeat in his ears and his heavy breathing, there was silence.

"T-The killer u-uses this power a-and..." he stuttered, finding his breathing turning rapid, sweat rolling down his brow as he struggled to explain. "W-We g-go and save the m-missing people a... and..."

He faltered, watching as Dojima backed away, protectively holding an arm out in front of Nanako as she peered out from his side. His heart dropped, the look Dojima giving him was terrifying, and the look Nanako was giving him was heartbreaking. His lip trembled over his words as he tried to explain it again. The killer used this power to throw people in. They went in to save them. He couldn't do it, the only thing that came out of his mouth were cracks and gurgles as the words died on his lips.

There was a standstill, Souji knowing that Dojima was thinking about how to handle this, while he was too afraid to move. Nanako was still whimpering behind her father in fear, looking at him with terrified eyes. He was about to remove his hand from the screen before he felt something latch on the moment he twitched his fingers. With a lurch, he was pulled back, his arm twisting as he was slammed into the TV and the stand, his head dipping into the screen as he struggled to keep hold to the stand with his free hand. He could see a mountain of shadows when he opened his eyes, the towering form radiating heat and discomfort, the closer shadows coiling their forms around his arm so tight as they pulled.

He found himself screaming as his other arm was pulled, and there was enough leverage for him to pull his head back into the real world. Dojima was pulling on his arm, and he could see Nanako peering out from behind a wall. The shadows wrapped onto his arm tighter, twisting it before snapping him closer to them. He screamed in agony as pain warped up into his shoulder and down his side, Dojima's grip on his arm faltering.

"Let go!" he screamed, coughing as tears flooded into his mouth. "Let go!"

Dojima hesitated, looking from Souji's face to his arm before gritting his teeth."What'll happen to you if I do?!"

Souji paused, lip trembling even harder. He was about to muster a reply before the shadows pulled him even harder, Dojima losing his balance and falling to the floor. Souji found himself whipped back into the TV, digging his knees into the TV stand as he tried to keep himself planted in reality. With his free arm, he held out his hand and started to feel the warmth glow as he summoned Izanagi's tarot card, only to gasp in horror as a mound of shadows stretched from the mountain and curled into his hand up his arm. They were starting to pull him down, the heat burning into his skin.

He couldn't see an end to them. There was so many. He wouldn't be able to get out of that.

He was going to die.

Shutting his eyes and feeling the tears as they fell rapidly down his face, he allowed his legs to fall limp, awaiting the end of it all. He felt arms wrap around his waist, and found himself back in the living room with a sharp tug. The shadows still cradled onto his arms, and they started to bubble, boiling into his skin as they hissed and made inhuman sounds. He heard Dojima and Nanako yell in surprise, the grip his uncle had faltering and he finally was pulled entirely through the screen with one final desperate pull from the shadows.

* * *

**[Rest]**

"Yosuke-Senpai, I can't sense him. At all. He's not—"

Rise stopped when Yosuke turned swiftly on his heel, his form tense and lower lip trembling slightly.

"He HAS to be here! You're just not looking hard enough!" he yelled, ignoring the crack in his voice, despite the fact it was echoing in the empty Magatsu Inaba. The shadows had disappeared—the teens were the only thing inhabiting it now.

"T-That's not true!" Rise screeched after a moment's hesitation. "I'm trying as hard as I can! He's not HERE!"

Yosuke grit his teeth at the silence that followed, glancing at all of his friends. They shuffled awkwardly, Kanji grumbling under his breath as he paced around and looked past debris, Chie rubbing her knuckles, eyes vacant and clear she wasn't completely with them. He looked back to Rise, the girl's face red with anger and tears as she wiped them away with her sleeve. A hint of guilt shot through his system at the sight, before desperation quickly flooded it out and he turned back on his heel and headed down the road.

"We split up! We're not leaving until we find him!" he ordered, voice cracking again as he stormed off.

Naoto and Teddie called after him in vain, the brunette shrugging them off as he continued down the path. He called out for Souji, the name echoing in the air until it faded off in the distance. He did it again, and again, the only response being the echo that rang back until it was gone. He wasn't sure how long he walked for, or how many times he passed that sign, and he didn't pay attention to the blisters forming on his feet or the way his legs wobbled under his weight or the way his vision wobbled from exhaustion.

"SOUJI!" he cried again, sitting on a nearby rock as he clutched onto his arms. "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"

He rocked himself back and forth, finding himself sobbing uncontrollably as his voice echoed without response. He slid down the rock and crashed onto the floor, clutching his head in his hands as he curled his knees up to his chest. He wailed, a guttural scream cracking through his throat. His best friend was gone.

His best friend was gone.

* * *

**[Scare]**

Nanako didn't speak for days after the event. Dojima didn't blame her—he barely believed it himself. His nephew had pushed his hand inside a TV screen like it was water. Just as soon as it had happened, he was dragged through by unspeakable horrors.

He thought he'd been dreaming. He wished he'd been dreaming. Souji was still missing. He phoned Naoto a couple of days later and asked her to round up all of their friends so he could explain what had happened. Adachi was in the room with him, looking at him as if he was crazy and laughing hesitantly afterwards. He didn't know what the teens did going through the TV, but Naoto was sure to update him on any progress.

There hadn't been any.

Souji's body was found early morning later in the month—strung up on a telephone pole. His arms were mangled, his face distorted in screams of agony, eyes rolled far in the back of his head. Nanako wouldn't say a word. It took all he could to get her to reply with a simple nod or shake of the head. He couldn't sleep, that night repeating itself in his dreams like rapid burns, the images of his lifeless body flashing in his mind right after. Nanako couldn't sleep in her room anymore, couldn't watch TV anymore. She was a shell of her former self, and he found himself unable to do anything as he watched her wither away before his eyes.

He was so scared.

* * *

**[Tired]**

The fog was still lingering in the streets of Inaba. Adachi and Souji had been declared missing, Naoto finding out they were marking the case as a possible hostage situation. They would never find them. The Investigation Team went through the entirety of Magatsu Inaba, and wandered through the rest of the dungeons as well. Rise couldn't pick up a trace, and not even Teddie could catch a whiff of Souji's scent.

They were gone.

Just... gone.

It'd been two months, and Yosuke had never felt more tired as he looked out his window to the fog-ridden streets.


	7. Chapter 7

**[Atmosphere]**

"Big Bro, you've been out here for a long time. Are you okay?"

Souji turned to look at his cousin who was standing at the door, rubbing her eyes tiredly. He smiled softly, standing up from where he sat on the edge of their small patio, heading back inside.

"Did I ever tell you I wanted to go to space when I was a kid?"

* * *

**[Bested]**

"Done."

Kanji looked up in surprise, staring at the masterfully hand-knitted cat plush before him. They'd started at the same time, and he still wasn't even halfway done his! How...?! Carefully setting his unfinished creation down, he picked up the pink cat with hesitant hands. The stitching was top-notch, it wasn't a giant project, but everything felt pristine and clean, as if made in a factory. He even managed to give the cat a little crown.

"Is it okay?"

He looked up at Souji, his Senpai sitting with legs crossed and hands on his ankles, head tilted to the side and mouth formed in a curious pout.

Kanji faltered, feeling a blush form on his lips as he slowly hugged the cat plush to his chest. "I-I-I-I h-have nothing more to teach you, Senpai. So... PLEASE, TEACH ME HOW YOU DID IT SO FAST!"

* * *

**[Care]**

"Aaaw, you  _do_  care about me, Chie!" Yosuke grinned as he leaned over her desk.

She promptly kicked him in the shin.

* * *

**[Distant]**

"Have you noticed Souji-kun's been acting kinda weird, lately?"

Dojima looked up from his newspaper, squinting at Adachi who was absentmindedly eating his lunch. "What do you mean?"

The younger detective twirled his hand, "You know like... he's not hanging out with his friends anymore, right? That Yosuke kid saw me the other day and asked if I'd heard from him and I said no. He looked real upset. Apparently he's not answering any of their texts."

Dojima's brow furrowed, as he mulled over recent months. "His grades have been slipping, too..."

"You think he got into trouble?" Adachi gasped, eyes wide as he dropped his sandwich to the table.

"No, he'd tell me..." Dojima muttered, "At least, I hope he would..."

"Well, if he's not even talking to his best friend, I wonder if he even  _would_  talk to you... Wow... that sounded better in my head."

* * *

**[Empty]**

"Wow, Adachi-san, your apartment's so... empty."

"Is... that a problem?"

"I just assumed it'd be a mess like your hair."

"...Thanks?"

* * *

**[Fear]**

The smell of gunpowder was stinging his nose, the ringing blaring in his ear, the cut pulsing on his cheek, all of this blurred into one sensation as his knees knocked together. His face burned hot, eyes widened and breath held in knots in his throat.

He shut his eyes tightly, trying to rid the sensations that trembled up his nerves and curled into his spine. He could hear the distant scoff, the harsh footsteps, the chattering of the revolver as he spun the barrel. There was a hum past it, he almost didn't notice. It burned and he struggled to focus on it. It was out of place—it was wrong, it didn't belong... He opened his eyes briefly, squinting at the room before him. The silhouette of the slouched detective before him wasn't moving. The hums turned to whispers and then screams.

He inhaled sharply as he was pushed to the floor. He looked up in a daze, Izanami's rotting corpse towering over him and his friends. Yosuke was in front of him, struggling against the clawing hands that ripped up from the ground, dragging him into an abyss. The others were screaming, he could hear Chie crying, Kanji swearing, Naoto choking.

He couldn't move.

He watched as Yosuke was pulled under, the brunette yelling at him to move, to run, to get out of there.

He couldn't move.

The smell of gunpowder was stinging in his nose...

* * *

**[Gravity]**

"Souji, let's go home. Please."

His uncle's words were shaking and filled with panic and desperation, but, to him, they came in undisturbed and crystal clear, like the harmonies of a song. The wind brushed through his hair as he grabbed onto the chain-link fence, resplendent smile gracing his lips as he looked up at the sky. Hues of dark blues and darker purples washed into the atmosphere, stars glistening and lighting up the night so brilliantly. A sigh of whimsy escaped his lips as his shoulders relaxed, fixated on the view above him.

The fence behind him rattled lightly, and he could feel his uncle's fingers desperately grabbing onto his. He spoke again, but the words were distant this time, clouded and faded, like the tune of distant rain drops.

"I've always wanted to go to space, Uncle," he hummed, leaning his head back against the fence while he pushed his heels closer to the edge of the roof. "I want to be there... floating... without a care in the world."

He spoke again, the words nothing more than a whisper of sparkling mist. His uncle's fingers felt warm against his—he could feel the shaking, the fear from his uncle's touch. The wind tickled his cheeks and brushed his hair out of his eyes as he kept his sights on the painted sky. All at once, he saw a streak in the sky. It shone so brilliantly in the split moment, and he found himself moving to reach for it. He needed to be there with the shining star, the falling star. He needed to be there.

Rippling through the air like fire, the chain-link rattled harshly behind him and he found one of his feet danging in the air, the other teetering on the edge of the roof. There was a tight grip on his wrist, his uncle's fingers digging past his shirt into his skin as he struggled to hang on. He could hear hollering from below, recognized the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances.

He continued to look up.

* * *

**[Heavy]**

"Souji, talk to me."

The teen was looking everywhere but in his direction. His eyes were sunken into his face, dark bags under his eyes swollen. There was no light in his eyes, his skin so pale he may as well have been a ghost. How could he not have noticed?

"Look, if you're in trouble, if something's bothering you, I'm here for you," he reassured, clasping his hands on his nephew's shoulders, trying to get a reaction. Souji didn't move. "You can tell me anything. I'm here to help you."

Souji continued to concentrate on everything that wasn't him. Dojima chewed on his cheek and sighed in frustration, trying to figure out what was wrong without any signs or words. He wasn't getting any sleep, that much was obvious, but why? He was avoiding his friends, but why? Nanako said he was barely eating breakfast, but why?

"Souji, please," his voice shook as his grip tightened on his nephew's shoulders. "Talk to me."

Silence still. It looked like the teen wasn't going to stir again, Dojima about to insist once more that he talk, until his words were stunned on his lips as the teen suddenly hugged him. He barely got a chance to react when he heard a  _click_  and Souji was backing away, aiming his gun at him. His heart froze, blood turning cold as Souji circled him, face deadpan, gun still aimed.

"Don't follow me," the teen muttered slowly as he walked backwards to the front door, slowly aiming the gun to his head.

Dojima stood there shell-shocked, body suddenly weighted with grief and fear and desperation as he watched his nephew leave the house, door closing silently. His stomach twisted in knots and he found it hard to breathe as he pulled out his phone.

* * *

**[Interim]**

The move to Inaba hadn't been permanent. When he first arrived, he was thankful for that fact. It looked boring, uneventful, and he wanted to do nothing more than go back home to the city.

As he watched the town fade from his sights, the small silhouettes of his waving friends disappearing from view, he found himself clutching tightly onto his bag as the train ducked under a tunnel. He wished it had been.

* * *

**[Muted]**

"Adachi? Adachi, are you there?"

The detective shook his head at the voice on the phone, "Sorry, Dojima-san, just... surprised. Souji just... took your gun?"

"Y-Yeah, I don't... I don't know what's wrong with him. He won't talk to me. Adachi, I hate to admit it, but I'm terrified. What do I do? He just... oh god... I don't know what to do."

"H-Hey, Dojima-san, calm down! It'll be fine! Do you know where he went? We can find him and try to talk him out of whatever he's going to do. I'm sure he'll listen to reason."

"No, I was too shocked to do anything. Maybe I can still catch up to him. I'm gonna call the station and call for a search. Can you help?"

"Of course! I don't want him getting hurt or doing anything he'll regret. How about I start looking by the river?"

"Thank you, Adachi."

"Hey, no worr—" the line went dead. Taking the phone away from his ear, he shoved it back in his pocket and scratched the back of his head, sighing as he skipped down the steps to the flood plain. The old man wasn't there today, probably because of the clouds. Everyone in this town was so paranoid about rain—as if it would melt them or something.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he slowly traipsed the riverbed, kicking rocks into the water and watching as fish would sometimes hop out. There was no other movement around him—the place was utterly quiet, and he was utterly alone. There were clouds blotting out the sun, but there wasn't even a breeze to accompany him.

Then he heard the rocks shuffle behind him. Cocking his head to look over his shoulder, he stared at Souji—the teen with dead eyes and a sunken face.

He frowned as the kid didn't even pass him a glance. "You ready?" he clicked his tongue, kicking another rock into the river.

The teen gave a solemn nod, and Adachi turned on his heel and started to head back up the stairs. "We gotta do this fast, your uncle's gonna get people looking for you."

Souji made no sound, but Adachi knew he nodded.

* * *

**[Nest]**

"Big Bro, come quick, hurry!"

Souji jolted from his seat at the table, Yosuke and Chie sharing a quick glance before chasing after him into the backyard. Nanako was hopping excitedly, pointing up to the roof.

"Look, look! Isn't it awesome?" She grinned, tugging on his shirt as he glanced to where she was pointing.

The teens laughed and smiled at the girl being so overjoyed at the sight of a bird building a nest on the roof.

"Uncle's going to hate all the bird poop."

Nanako looked to him in disgust. "Eeeew! Big Bro, that's gross!"

"Dude, you ruin every moment," Yosuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as Chie snickered behind her fist.

* * *

**[Pensive]**

"What were you thinking?! You could have died!"

Souji tilted his head in confusion, watching as his uncle paced the room and ran his fingers through his hair. His voice was cracking and Souji could see the veins in his hands, enunciated by distress.

"I'm sorry, Uncle," he apologized, tilting his head the other way as he watched Adachi fret over his relative, trying to urge him to sit down. "You remember how I was always sick when I was little? Dad always told me if I wanted to go to space, I had to chase a shooting star from high up since I couldn't become an astronaut. I saw one, Uncle."

He didn't understand the look of heartbreak that etched on Dojima's face.

* * *

**[Question]**

It was a double suicide.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene, even though every fibre in his being was telling him, urging him, screaming to look away. He just wanted to run and never look back. Adachi had known everything. Adachi knew all of Souji's troubles, and Souji knew all of his. They planned to end it. Together.

Like some sort of Romeo and Juliet bullshit.

There was blood pooling on the hardwood from their bullet wounds. He noted right away that Adachi's injury hadn't been fatal, while Souji's was clean through his skull. They had shot each other, and empty pill bottles on the counter explained the frothing at Adachi's mouth. If they missed the shot, they'd overdose.

They had it all planned.

But why?

He would have listened. Why didn't they talk to him?

Why?


	8. Chapter 8

**[Baseless]**

"You're the killer, Adachi-san!"

"Wh-?! Where did that come from?!"

Dojima chuckled and shook his head in disbelief, "Souji, we haven't even started the game, calm down."

Souji pouted and crossed his arms, Nanako peering over the board in confusion, eyebrows stitched together in concentration.

"I still don't get it!" she whined, looking at Naoto sitting next to her with wide eyes. "Can you explain it again?"

"How about we work as a team, Nanako-chan?" The Detective Prince gave the girl a soft smile, who nodded feverishly and scooted as close as she could to the teen, listening intently as she explained the rules again.

"Well, I guess that frees up a spot," Dojima shrugged before turning to the rest of Souji's friends who were huddled on the couch. "Any of you want to join in?"

The teens all looked among themselves, before Souji jabbed a finger in the air.

"Yosuke's the killer!" he shouted, circling his finger dramatically.

"Dude, just for that, I'm not gonna play."

"Big Bro, quit being mean!" Nanako sulked, until her eyes lit up. "Unless YOU'RE the killer! Dad, Adachi, Naoto, Big Bro's the killer! You have to arrest him!"

Adachi sighed and hung his head. "We haven't even picked our characters yet..."

* * *

**[Careful]**

"Hey, you be careful on the way home, okay? Fog seems pretty thick tonight."

"I'll be fine, Uncle," Souji reassured, neatly folding his last paycheck from the hospital before shoving it in his pocket. "I've done this how many times now? You need your rest. You're not even supposed to be out of bed right now, are you?"

He grinned at Dojima's hesitant glance around the hallway, before he smirked with a finger to his lips.

"Sshh, don't ruin this for me!" he chuckled, patting Souji on the shoulder. "You get going now, I don't want you missing the bus."

"That wouldn't be fun for me," Souji agreed. "I'll visit again soon. Give Nanako a hug for me, okay?"

"Of course."

With a short wave, Souji and his uncle turned and parted ways. He was going to miss coming here at nights, it kept him distracted from the empty house he had to return to. Sure, a quiet hospital was generally creepier, but having both his relatives in the hospital just made that tiny house seem so large in comparison. It unnerved him, and he was finding it hard to get any sleep. Being able to have a visit with his uncle the odd time he was there to clean the windows was always welcome. He missed them. He wanted them home soon. Nanako still was struggling with her recovery, but she was making slow progress.

He couldn't wait until they were back home.

Sighing as he reached the front doors of the hospital, Souji slowly started his way to the bus stop. He paused for a moment, squinting against the fog that covered every inch of the city before he dug out his glasses from his pocket. He carried them around all the time now, but he tried not to use them unless he couldn't see his hand directly in front of his face. This seemed to be close enough to one of those days. He wanted to ask Teddie to make a pair for Dojima, Nanako, Adachi, and his friends at school outside of the Investigation Team. He couldn't, though. He didn't want his uncle asking questions, he didn't want to cause anymore confusion. The small town was so different as the fog stayed for months, some people fading into hysteria, wearing gas masks and breaking into stores. Others became apathetic, he could hear lingering conversations of what people could get away with since people could hardly see when they were outside. It was starting to affect his friends, he could tell. Even with the glasses to see through the fog, Yosuke was growing distant, Chie was hardly eating, Yukiko was laughing at even the slightest provocation, Kanji was getting angrier, Rise was getting paranoid and twitchy, Teddie was forcing his smiles, and Naoto tried to keep up appearances, but he could see the fear and frustration in her eyes.

Namatame wasn't the killer, but they couldn't figure out who it was. There was nobody else they could think of—they ran through everybody and everything they could think of, only to come up empty. It was eating away at them every day. He remembered Chie mumbling one day, barely catching her words as she questioned if the killer was the cause of the ongoing fog. The forecast the week the fog had flooded the town and stayed hadn't accounted for it, it had said there was going to be nothing but sunshine. He wasn't sure if anybody else had heard her, but he found himself mulling over it more times than he liked to admit. Was it possible? Could the killer really have that kind of power?

He found himself thinking about it more times than he cared to admit on the bus rides home. He mulled over all the people he could think of who could possibly be the culprit. He ran through everybody he could think of, even his friends, filing through each and every one of them, trying to place them at the scenes of the murders. He knew it was impossible; he was the first one to get the powers to go inside the TV world.

He paused for a moment. Had he been the killer and merely repressed or falsified his memories? Could that be possible? Maybe he'd ask Naoto for a private conversation and ask what the chances of that were.

He found himself standing outside the bus stop at the Central Shopping District, blinking slowly as he heard the bus doors close behind him before the vehicle slowly left down the road. The fog was affecting him, too; he was getting lost in thought too often.

Digging his phone out of his pocket, he stared blankly at the screen as it didn't start up. Shit, was it dead? Did he forget to charge it? Oh, right, Yosuke borrowed his charger and hadn't given it back yet. He was going to bring it by tomorrow. He sighed and shrugged. The time didn't really matter anymore, he figured, since the town looked the same day or night now.

It was eerie walking home from the hospital the first time the fog had lingered. He'd found himself unable to move from the bus stop before he walked up to Kanji's house and asked if the younger teen would escort him home. Kanji had been more than willing, and he even spent the night at his mother's behest. Now he was desensitized to it. The scariest things that had happened since then was an animal knocking over a trash can, and an instance where one of the paranoid, gas-mask wearing guys had ran up to him screaming before darting off.

When he'd told his uncle about the encounter, he remembered the seriousness that had crossed Dojima's features, slowly telling him to be wary of those people, and it was the thing that stuck in his mind when he found himself suddenly slammed to the ground.

* * *

**[Distracted]**

It was a surprise when he came downstairs to see Dojima in the kitchen. He thought his uncle had been pulled back to work for Golden Week. He stopped at the landing and could only stare, his uncle glancing over before he stopped cutting whatever vegetables he had on the cutting board.

"Hey, you're up, good." Dojima smiled, before turning back to the board and resumed chopping the food. "Change of plans happened again at the station, so I got my days off. Wanna help me get stuff made for the picnic?"

"Of course!"

He quickly strode into the kitchen beside his uncle, curiously glancing to the living room to see Nanako shoving things in her backpack and humming happily to herself. The morning was filled with light conversation and heartfelt laughter. They spent an hour fixing their lunch and packing it neatly. Dojima started washing the utensils and Souji started putting away the remaining food while they heard Nanako puttering about impatiently. After Souji had finished putting the food away, he went to grab the basket to place it by the door so they wouldn't forget, Dojima carefully drying off one of the knives.

"Dad! Big Bro!" Nanako hollered, running in from the backyard. "There's a cat in the backyard! It's so cute!"

The men both turned, taking awkward steps to move around each other while facing Nanako. Souji thought he could see the cat if he squinted, butterflies growing in his stomach. Was it a stray? Maybe they could adopt it.

"Shit... shit... Oh shit!"

He snapped to attention at his uncle's distress, the man pale in the face and looking down.

"Dad? Big Bro? What's wrong? Don't you want to see the cat?"

Giving his cousin a quick smile, he followed Dojima's eyes, only to see the knife he'd been drying was now embedded into his stomach. He blinked slowly, placing the basket back onto the counter as he looked down at the blood starting to seep through his shirt. Well, it wasn't butterflies in his stomach. Past his focus on the blade, he could see Dojima's hands and knees shaking. Souji tilted his head to the side, before he slowly reached to grab the hilt until Dojima grabbed his wrist.

"Don't." He commanded, voice shaking. "You'll bleed out."

"Dad? Big Bro?" Nanako's voice was wavering in concern now.

"Nanako, don't look. Souji, c'mon, we gotta get you on the floor, okay?"

He followed his uncle's orders blankly, lying down on the cold, kitchen floor. He watched his uncle step away, could hear Nanako questioning what was going on, Dojima apologizing to her that the trip was cancelled again. There was a moment's pause, he could hear Dojima dialing a number on the phone, and then there was a quick rush of tiny steps and a horrified gasp from his cousin.

"Nanako! I told you not to look!"

"I-I w-wanted to know what was wrong!"

Souji glanced back down to the blade in his gut, and he could see more blood staining into his shirt. He found himself wondering how fluffy that cat was.

* * *

**[Empty]**

Souji had been acting strange a couple of floors into Mitsuo's dungeon. He was suddenly quiet, well, more-so than usual, stalking off ahead while the rest of the regrouped to let Rise get a clearer scan of the area. They had stopped in a room they'd just cleared out of Shadows, Rise making sure there weren't anymore nearby so they could stop to take a break.

He was going to ask what was wrong.

Marching up to his friend, he placed a hand on his shoulder. Souji jumped, quickly turning to look at him and Yosuke frowned.

"Dude, you okay? You've been acting kinda weird since we got here."

Souji was silent for a moment, before he cracked a sigh and a short smile, "I'm fine, Yosuke. Sorry for worrying you."

"Dude, if there's something you wanna talk about, I—"

"Yosuke, I'm fine. It's okay."

He should have pressed more, got the others to badger him. Now, they weren't just fighting Kubo's Shadow, they were fighting Souji's, too.

* * *

**[Future]**

"Adachi, if you could marry anybody in this room, who would it be?!"

Adachi glanced up at the teen with a cocked eyebrow. "What does that have to do with the game?"

"Answer the question!"

"T-The only one here of legal age is Doji—"

Before Adachi could finish blubbering his sentence, Souji hopped up onto his feet and pointed at Rise.

"I win the bet!"

"That's cheating, Senpai! It doesn't count!"

Dojima sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Souji, sit down and play the game, would you?"

* * *

**[Gears]**

Adachi was looking down on him, rain pelting his face and making it hard to see the detective clearly. Adachi bent down, tilting his head to the side as he stared the teen down.

"If I could turn back time..." Souji mumbled, rolling his head to the side. "I could help you..."

The only thing Adachi could do was laugh.

* * *

**[Hello]**

"Don't make me go back."

"Souji, I—"

"Please. Please, don't make me go back."

When he got home that night, the last thing he'd expected to see was his nephew on the couch, rolled up in a blanket and silently watching the muted TV. Immediately, he clued in that something was wrong, and he was in for a sleepless night. He sat down next to his nephew without a word, and the teen started off, mumbling about his day and what had been happening the past few weeks. He wasn't sure where Souji was going with it, talking nothing about his times with his friends and Nanako. He didn't understand the purpose until the teen looked at him with heartbreak and terror in his eyes.

"I don't want to go home."

* * *

**[Itch]**

He could already feel blood as his face scraped against the sidewalk, glasses skidding off his face and one of his arms pinned down awkwardly as his assailant's knee dug into it , the other one digging into his back. He struggled to scream or move, to try to push the stranger off, only to find his hair and cheek gripped onto tightly by leather gloves. The assailant's fingers were digging into his eye and mouth. He could hear the man screaming muffled nonsense, but couldn't understand a word he was saying.

His head was lifted up, strained whimpers and hushed yells caught in his throat as the man tried pulling his head back as far as he could. His neck protested the action, burning and pulsing. The man kept pulling and pulling—it felt like he was trying to rip his head off. Tears stung his eyes and a headache was starting to form at the force.

It only got worse when his head was slammed back down into the concrete. His mind went empty as he heard something  _snap_ , and he didn't have time to process what it was when the assailant picked his head up and did it again. And again.

His uncle's voice kept running through his head.

"You be careful."

* * *

**[Jail]**

"This is the last time I'll get to talk to you, isn't it?"

Adachi paused, cursing himself for thinking the topic wouldn't be brought up sooner or later. He grit his teeth, digging his fingers into his pants as he glared, avoiding Dojima's eye.

"I don't know why you came to talk to me at all," he seethed, trying to stop himself from trembling. "I mean, everyone back in Inaba must be talking behind your back. Probably think you conspired with me or something, right?"

"Adachi."

"Why did you even bother? I'm a criminal. You could have spent this time with your daughter, but you spend it on me. What was it, an hour's drive? Longer? I don't remember this shit anymore. Nanako-chan finally gets her dad back and you waste it all on me."

"Adachi."

"Yeah, no, real great parenting there, Dojima-san. If I didn't know any better, I—"

"Will you shut up for a second and let me talk?"

Adachi flinched inwardly, slowly turning to look back at the man he used to call his teammate. Dojima's body was tense, lips pursed so tight he could see the corners twitching, hands on the table clasped together so hard that he could see his knuckles turning white. He was doing his best to ignore the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Nanako understands why I'm here," he started, and he tried his best to ignore the slight tremble he could hear. "You... You don't seem to understand that you were my friend... my  _only_ friend. When... When Chisato died... all I had was Nanako, and I shut her out out of fear. I grew distant from everyone at the office, not that I was close to anybody to begin with. I worked alone, for the most part. Then you arrive and you're assigned to be my teammate and you don't even look professional with your messy hair and suit too big. Don't even have a goddamn tie so I get you one so the boss doesn't have a fit next time he sees you. You took a long time to get adjusted to everything, you would zone out and ignore vital information, you threw up at the biggest crime scene we had and... I was a horrible friend. You stuck with me, you put up with me, you were there for me, Nanako, and Souji when we needed you most. Then you were gone."

Dojima paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before he resumed, "I should have seen it. I should have figured out why you kept saying confidential information to a group of teens like you were passing highschool gossip, why you kept skipping out, why you were slow when it came to passing on evidence from the crime scenes. You were an idiot. At least, I thought you were sometimes. Acted like it a lot. I should have realized that's what it was. I read your files. I read you were the best shot, read all your accomplishments and achievements, things that you shouldn't have messed up here. You... You were there by my side the entire time, investigating the corpses of the women you killed. You were there by my side the entire time, lighter in your pocket for me to use when you don't even smoke. You were there by my side when I was in the hospital, and you were there by Nanako's, and you checked up on Souji at my request."

Dojima faltered, taking another deep breath as he ran his hands through his hair, "And then you were gone. I had just lost my daughter and got her back, and then my only friend turned out to be the guy I'd been chasing the entire year. I... I couldn't... Something must have happened. It must have been a mistake. You panicked like an idiot, that's what you were known for. But, it was you. It wasn't a mistake; you did it. You killed that woman and you killed that girl. But you were there for us and no matter what, I couldn't just... I couldn't just let all that go to waste. I couldn't make the same mistake like I did with Nanako. And... now... you're not coming back."

There was a moment, Dojima looking to the side as he wiped his eye with the palm of his hand. "And I just... I have one question... Why?"

Adachi took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Dojima turned to look at him again slowly. He could read every emotion behind the man's eyes. He'd been visiting him every Sunday for two years. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but this man had been his only friend, and he betrayed him out of bitter envy.

A shaking smile perched on his lips as he let the breath out.

"Why?" he chuckled, ignoring the tears that fell down his face. "You know why, Dojima-san. I'm an idiot."

* * *

**[Success]**

"I think the killer was Ikutsuki, on the roof, with the silenced gun."

"Objection!" Souji hollered, pointing a finger at Adachi. "Where's your proof?!"

"Well, uh, in my thought process? And my notepad? You know, the things to keep track of proof with?" Adachi slowly sighed and shook his head. "Do you have any counter arguments, Souji?"

The teen's brow twitch and he huffed back into his seat, before turning to stick his tongue out at his friends who were snickering on the couch. There was a silent moment as Dojima, and Naoto and Nanako reviewed their notes. The girls hummed in thought and Dojima nodded curtly, Souji drumming his fingers on his arms.

"That does seem to make the most sense." Naoto mused.

"Big Bro's the killer! Big Bro's the killer!" Nanako sang.

"Not yet, Nanako," Dojima laughed. "We have to confirm it with the higher-ups."

"It will be false! I am not the killer!" Souji scoffed, sticking his nose in the air.

Chie took the folder from her lap and slowly opened it so only the five of them on the couch could see, each of them muttering "hmm's" and "I see's" and "oooh's" to prolong the reveal. Closing the folder and standing to her feet, Chie marched the couple of steps and stood beside Adachi.

"With the power invested in me as a higher-up," she started, before gesturing to Adachi. "I hereby promote Adachi for figuring out who the murderer is. Your advanced pay is bragging rights!"

She giggled, before opening the folder with the evidence and placing it on the table for everyone to see. Souji recoiled in horror as Adachi gave himself a high-five.

"Arrest him, Adachi-san!" Rise laughed, Nanako cheering in agreement.

"This is unjust!" Souji cried. "I call for a retrial! It's fabricated evidence! I, Ikutsuki, will not be shamed like this!"

"Arrest him! Arrest him!" Nanako chanted, and then Teddie joined in, then Rise, and the rest of the teens.

Dojima looked over to Adachi and gave him a smirk, the younger man shrugging in response before getting to his feet.

"Gotta give the audience what they want, Souji-kun. You're under arrest for the murder of Souko Nakahara!"

There was a slight pause before Souji was on his feet and running up the stairs. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

* * *

**[Thoughtful]**

There was a knock on the door and Dojima looked up from the book he'd asked Souji to bring him the other night. Adachi stood meekly before slowly closing the door behind him. He was pale and looked as if he would vomit at any moment, Dojima bookmarking his spot and about to question what was going on before he watched the younger man reach into his coat and take out a file.

There was a moment's pause as Adachi leafed through it himself, hands trembling.

"Adachi..." Dojima said cautiously. "What's going on?"

"Th-They found him the other night."

There was a knot forming in his stomach and Dojima scowled as he sat further up in his bed. "Found who?" The killer? Did they find the killer? No, Adachi wouldn't be acting so strange. The knot grew tighter in his stomach as Adachi looked back at the files, zoning out of reality. "Adachi! Who did they find?!"

Adachi jumped and looked back to the door, shutting the file before he walked over to the side of the bed, hesitantly handing it to Dojima. Dojima gave Adachi a long glance before he took the folder and slowly opened it up. He knew it was a homicide, it was too thick not to be, but his heart froze at the pictures inside, the world seeming to stop when he read the name of the victim.

Souji Narukami.

Oh god, no, no no no.

He grabbed one of the pictures and held it up, feeling his hand tremble. He didn't want to look, but he couldn't look at anything else. It couldn't be Souji, it couldn't be. It was somebody else. If he looked long enough, it would be someone else. His nephew was at school right now. His nephew was alive. He had to be. He couldn't be... This couldn't be him. It just... it couldn't. The longer he looked, the more he realized that it was him. His stomach churned and he felt sick to his stomach, but he couldn't look away. He was trying to remember what Souji had looked like last night, but all he could do was look at the photo, distorting his memory.

It was brutal. Souji's face was swollen and drenched in blood, and it looked as if half of his face had been caved in. He was missing teeth, his nose was broken, there was another picture he could see where hair was ripped out from the back of his skull. He tried to remember what Souji looked like last night, but he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember.

He couldn't remember.

He couldn't remember.

"D-Dojima-san...?"

He couldn't remember.


	9. Chapter 9

**[After]**

He collapsed on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling without a care or a thought entering his mind. Adachi had been the culprit, a man he grew to trust and respect, a man he'd called a friend had been the murderer the entire time. The fog was lifted, and his friends were overjoyed. He'd went along with it, he was happy, too, of course. With the fog gone, Nanako showed immediate signs of improvement, if Dojima's exuberant texts were anything to go by.

When the excitement was all said and done, though, he found himself drained of energy, walking home in a slump after saying goodbye to his friends. They'd all wanted to go and celebrate, and were disappointed when he had to decline so readily. Rise and Teddie both tried their damndest to get him to come with, but he had to keep declining until Yosuke and Chie got them to back off.

Now, here he was, at home alone, staring at the ceiling as his body felt weighted and impossible to move. Adachi was the culprit. Adachi was the killer. Adachi betrayed him. Adachi betrayed Dojima. Adachi betrayed Nanako. True, Yamano's murder had occurred before he'd even arrived in Inaba, and Saki's happened when they only saw each other at a brief glance. The only person Adachi ended up betraying were those women, his uncle, and everyone on the police force.

It didn't stop it from hurting—he'd called this man a friend, and had tried everything he could to make sure it didn't end in violence. He'd almost died to Adachi's onslaught as he practically ripped Izanagi to shreds. Something had made him stop, though, and he wasn't sure what.

The sound of light knocks on the door made him slowly lift himself off the couch. He dragged his feet across the floor, finding it cumbersome to move or do anything as it felt like he was wading through water. He opened it slowly, staring at Yosuke and Chie who stopped a silent conversation when he opened it up. They gave him a quick look over before smiling hesitantly.

"We didn't want you to feel  _too_  left out," Chie started as Yosuke held out a takeout box.

"Chie and I split the payment and got you something from Aiya's." Handing the box to Souji, he took it hesitantly before looking at his friends. His mind faltered, and their smiles slowly shifted away. Yosuke took a step forward, shoving the door open a bit more in order to place a hand on his shoulder. "You doing okay, man? We know you were close with Adachi-san."

"Yeah, that must have come as a big surprise. We're here for you if you need us, you know." She smiled again, it was sad and forced.

"After everything..." he found himself mumbling. "And he... was just... all that time... he was just using us..."

He found himself crying, allowing Yosuke and Chie to lead him back inside the house. He heard the door click quietly behind them, the box taken from his hands and placed on the counter.

* * *

**[Best]**

"Wait, I got a higher score than you?!"

Souji squinted at the tests, looking back and forth between the two as he examined them very carefully, Yosuke nearly hyperventilating beside him.

"Holy shit, hoooly shit, I have to phone my mom, hooooooooly shit, dude, I can't believe it!"

"Shut up, Yosuke! I'm concentrating!" he seethed, eyes darting back and forth from their quizzes, Chie and Yukiko watching in astonished amusement.

No matter how many times he reread the numbers, they never changed. No matter how many times he reread the names, they stayed the same. No matter how many times he examined the handwriting in the hopes of forgery, it was no doubt his and Yosuke's separate penmanship. He could see the remnants of answers he'd corrected, and nobody else doodled like Yosuke did.

He could hear the brunette happily chatting away on the phone in excitement and he turned once the call ended, fury embedded in his eyes as he stared his best friend down.

"Did you even study for this?!"

Yosuke grinned, and swiped his finger under his nose. "Bro, you know I didn't!"

* * *

**[Care]**

"You're home late," Dojima observed from where he sat on the couch, absentmindedly watching the news repeat from earlier in the day. "Nanako was worried, and so was I. You weren't answering your phone."

Souji stepped into the living room. His body ached from head to toe, his skull pounding and everything pulsing as he moved. He slid onto the couch next to his uncle, trying to choke back the pained sobs that threatened to fall every time he breathed. Kanji's Shadow had been brutal, the side-kicks it had focusing their attention on him. Chie and Yosuke had to save him more than one time as one of the monsters squeezed him tightly, the other gripping onto his Persona. He could still feel the fingers digging into his spine, his ribs cracking, the air in his lungs hard to reach. There was only so much Yukiko's healing could do when the fight was over.

"The battery died..." he managed to wheeze out, taking in a sharp breath as it shot pain rippling through his body.

"Mm." It was the sound of disbelief, and he could feel his uncle's eyes on him. There was a moment of silence before Dojima turned the TV off and got up to kneel in front of him. "What happened, Souji? You can barely breathe."

"Nothing. I'm fi—"

"No. Have you seen yourself? You're a mess. 'Nothing' doesn't make you limp with every step and flinch with every breath," Dojima sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at his nephew straight in the eye. "Now, are you going to tell me what happened before or after I take you to the hospital?"

"W—" Souji's heart jumped to his stomach as he looked to his relative in fear. "No, no, no, no, Uncle, I'm fine! Really!"

"Souji, I deal with liars all the time, do you honestly think you're in any position or state of mind to make me think that's believable? You're panicking, and you're hurt. I'm not mad, Souji, but I am disappointed. You're under my roof and I'm supposed to take care of you, so let me help. What. Happened?"

The pain multiplied tenfold with the guilt that tied around his heart. His uncle's tone was sharp, but there was an underlying softness to it, like concern etched into the back of his words. A story. He needed to fabricate a story. He didn't want to lie to his uncle—maybe he could twist it to be vague. He was still getting used to Inaba, he didn't know everything yet, he could feign ignorance on the location. He didn't want to lie.

"P-Promise you won't tell Mom?"

There was a short smirk on Dojima's face as he responded, "Depends on how much trouble you're in."

* * *

**[Deliver]**

When Souji was brought to the police station, Adachi felt his gut knot. He hadn't expected Dojima to get sent home early. Nanako or Souji was supposed to find the letter, not Dojima. He'd just wanted to spook the kid a little, see what kind of nonsense he and his ragtag team of friends would come up with as they struggled to figure out who sent the letters and why.

Now his bullshit threats might actually come true. Nanako's name was put in the newspaper this morning.

He eyed Dojima as he entered the room, Souji paling and looking at everything that wasn't his relative. They locked eyes, and Adachi could only shrug before Dojima coughed to get his nephew's attention.

He glanced to the clock. It was almost midnight. He could only hope Nanako had fallen asleep by now and wouldn't answer the door.

* * *

**[Entrance]**

He wasn't quite sure what to think as he stepped off the train and onto the platform. He'd been the only one on the train for an hour. It'd been abysmally quiet, even the lull of the train rolling along couldn't help the unease in the pit of his stomach.

It wasn't any different off of the train—this place was quiet. Horrifically quiet, like it was deserted. There were vending machines next to the station, both of them caked in dust and cobwebs. He'd just entered into some horror movie, didn't he? Soon, he'd hear the rev of a chainsaw and he'd be running for his life screaming for help, only to get none because everyone would already be dead.

Thankfully, the next thing he heard wasn't a chainsaw, but the sound of his uncle calling to get his attention.

* * *

**[Free]**

"NANAKO!"

"BIG BRO!"

The cousins ran at each other, Souji picking up the girl and swinging her in his arms as he twirled around the house, the two of them laughing all the while. Dojima stepped inside shaking his head.

"Calm down, you two, I don't want to have to go back to the hospital today."

"Oh, right, sorry." Souji stopped his spinning, holding Nanako close. The two stared at each other before grinning, the teen slowly setting Nanako to the floor, before a sudden light shone in her eyes and she was dashing off in the direction of her bedroom.

Souji and Dojima shared a glance of confusion before they started laughing at Nanako's enthusiastic yell about how comfy her bed was.

* * *

**[Grab]**

He should have done something, should have said something, should have shoved him back and dragged him out of the store by the arm. He knew his Souji, he knew the teen couldn't just leave without answers. He'd went back to Junes and hid behind some display racks, peering through the small openings when he heard Souji walk close. He watched him enter the TV, and then he waited. And waited. And waited. There was no sign of Souji anywhere, and he found his heart racing in panic. He'd been waiting for hours, and it was time for Junes to close. He had no choice but to leave, ushered out by his exhausted co-workers and cranky father.

He tried phoning Souji the second he got up. It went straight to voicemail. That was enough to send him into a cold sweat—it meant Souji hadn't left. He was still inside the TV, alone. No, he wasn't alone, he was with Adachi. He wasn't sure if that was actually worse or better.

"I should have grabbed him, or, or—" he grit his teeth and ran his hands through his hair as the Investigation Team was assembled at their table in the food court. "He could be dead! He could be dead and it's all my fault because I didn't stop him!"

"Yosuke-Senpai, please calm down, you're drawing attention," Naoto stated calmly, eyeing another table before her focus was back on him. "Souji-Senpai's relationship with Adachi-san... I'm afraid I can't discern it, but I know Senpai cares for him, and I knew my words of warning would fall on deaf ears. There was nothing you could have done; he would have fought you for his answers."

"That doesn't mean I shouldn't have tried! He's been in there all night, Naoto! I was waiting for him to come back for hours!"

"Well, what're we sitting around waiting for?!" Kanji bellowed as he rose from his seat. "Let's go in there and kick Adachi's ass and bring Senpai back!"

"Yeah! What're we waiting for?! I can't imagine Souji being alone with that creep all night!" Chie jumped up from her seat in agreement. "I'm ready to kick Adachi's stupid eyeballs right down his throat!"

There was a moment where everyone was bursting with pumped up anger and enthusiasm, the teens marching back into the store as onlookers stared before going back to their own business. Yosuke paused, Naoto grabbing onto his wrist tightly, tilting her hat to cover her face.

"Please, don't blame yourself, Yosuke-Senpai. It's not your fault," she spoke softly, and he could tell she was telling it to herself as much as she was saying it to him. "If there's someone to put at blame here, it's Adachi-san. He  _will_ answer to his crimes, and he  _will_  answer if Souji-Senpai has been injured. We'll make sure of it, right?"

Despite himself, he couldn't help but find a short smile on his face. "Right."

* * *

**[Halt]**

His brakes were cut. They were working fine yesterday when he took the bike to Okina City, but, now, no matter how hard he squeezed the triggers, he wasn't slowing down. He could hear his friends calling in distress past the wind that howled through his ears as he barrelled down the hill. It was steep. God, it was steep. He had to slow down or he'd flip right over the barricade at the end. How high was this cliff again? Well, that wasn't a great thing to question in his panic.

Anxiety and adrenaline flooding his system, Souji quickly slid his feet to the road, heels digging into the ground as he tried to halt the speed of his runaway bike. It didn't help all that much, only causing pain to his ankles as he stressed everything he could to try to stop. Before he could try anything else, there was a sudden lurch and he found himself slammed forward with force, flying over the handles until he started rolling down the rest of the hill. It wasn't a simple roll, no, he was twisting and turning all over the place, he could feel rocks digging and cutting his skin, blood seeping from the wounds. He'd landed into the roll weird, but he couldn't remember how or what had happened. Everything hurt, that's all that he knew.

He finally stopped, slowly sliding down the hill as he tried to regain his breath and stop his swirling vision. He could hear the bike skidding out, wincing as it painfully slammed into his side. He couldn't move it. He couldn't feel his arms, and his legs felt of jelly and his head was spinning too much.

His uncle was never going to let him leave the house after this.

* * *

**[Intergalactic]**

"Welcome to the Velv—"

"You're aliens, aren't you?!"

Igor paused, no evidence on his face saying he was distraught or surprised at the accusation. Margaret also showed no indication of any signs of discomfort or concern at the question. Souji huffed slightly, crossing his arms as he waited for a response.

They didn't give him one until Margaret asked if he was there to fuse Personas.

* * *

**[Jump]**

"I got it! The killer jumped up and put the body—"

"Adachi, think about what you just said."

"Uh... the killer jumped up and—"

"Stop. Do you see what's wrong with that sentence?"

"The... killer jumped up... oh."

"Yeah. I don't think we're dealing with some freak with radioactive jumping powers."

* * *

**[Kinetic]**

Part of him still missed the city, missed the bumbling streets and constant conversation. It was humble here, quiet; the loudest parts of the day when school started and ended and those faded out just as fast as they had faded in.

Sometimes, he missed the energy the city had to offer him, but he knew he'd miss the tranquility when he'd have to go back.

* * *

**[Locate]**

He stopped by the house—the door was wide open. He could hear the phone ringing. Shit, shit, shit, shit, Namatame had Nanako. Shit. Shit.  _Shit_. He heard another car pull up, tires splashing in the puddles as he fumbled through his pockets for his phone.

"Adachi-san, what are you doing here?!" It was that Prince Detective, running up beside him as she tried not to get drenched by the rain. There was suspicion and worry laced in her voice.

"Some things happened, it's confidential," he admitted, trying to keep his stress under control. "Nanako-chan was home alone so I decided to check up on her while running an errand for Dojima-san, and I come here to this! I was just going to phone him. Don't touch anything, okay? I know you're a detective and all, but this is  _official_  police business and—"

The two of them jumped in surprise at the teen's phone buzzing in her pocket. She quickly excused herself and ran back to the 50's looking vehicle, clambering inside to have the conversation. Quickly, he flipped open his phone and surfed through the numbers until he landed on Dojima's, tapping his fingers nervously on his leg as he waited for the man to pick up.

"Adachi?!" Dojima barked the second he picked up. "Where the hell did you go?!"

"C-Considering the circumstances, sir, I wanted to check up on Nanako-chan, a-a-a-and—" he swallowed, a lump of guilt rising in the back of his throat as he stared through the open doorway into the deserted house. "S-She's gone, Dojima-san."

There was a short pause. "Gone? What do you mean 'gone'?!"

"The front door was wide open, and there's nobody inside, and—"

He stopped himself at the sharp intake of breath he could hear Dojima take, and he could hear the muffled sound of Souji questioning what was wrong in the background. Scratching the back of his head, he turned to look as Naoto's vehicle sped off down the way. He let out a heavy sigh, stomach curdling and heart twisting as he looked back into the empty house.

"I-I saw a delivery truck turning the corner as I pulled up," he lied. "I didn't think anything of it, but they don't make deliveries this late, do they? I-I think they must have taken Nanako-chan! If we can find that truck then we'll find her, I bet!"

He could hear Souji yelling hysterically in the background now, Dojima hadn't said a word. The teen had been panicked when he'd arrived for interrogation, and the silent treatment wasn't going to help anything. The only response Adachi received was a sharp click and the dial tone after Dojima hung up.

Shit.

* * *

**[Missing]**

"Yosuke, what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious, Chie? He's looking for his dignity."

"Dude... not cool, man."

* * *

**[Never]**

Yosuke's hands were twitchy as he fidgeted with his headset, the group standing outside the door leading to what was Yamano's personal hell. He remembered the first time they came here, completely by accident, squinting through the fog and fighting the oncoming headaches and fatigue from panic and stress.

He recalled the noose above the chair, the posters with faces cut out, the general mess in such a small room. Souji had been stuck in there all night with a killer, the guy who killed Saki, the guy who lied to them all and tried to play the fool. His heart skipped a beat as they all looked at each other in nervousness, Naoto placing her hand on the doorknob before they all gave each other silent nods, the young detective swinging the door open. They jumped into the room, summoning their Personas immediately, only to freeze and look around at the deserted room.

Teddie and Rise were quick to respond, Rise humming quietly in concentration as she scanned the area, Teddie sniffing the room from top to bottom. He looked to Chie, who looked back in concern, the two slowly entering further into the room and taking a quick look for themselves. Maybe he wasn't remembering right since the first time they came here, but nothing seemed different. It didn't feel like there was any evidence that Souji or Adachi was here, but this was where Teddie had smelled them both, where Rise had scanned Souji's presence. Had they both been wrong?

"I can't sense Senpai anymore..." Rise's voice shook, her hands trembling. "He was here when we got in! I sensed him clear as day!"

"I can smell that he was here, and so was Adachy-Baby," Teddie mused, before his ears flattened to his head. "But I can't figure out anything certain. Their scents are faded, like it's been a beary long, long time."

"Do... do you think..." Chie started to mumble, shoving her hands in her pockets as she tapped her foot in nervousness. "You don't think Souji... willingly went with him, do you?"

Yosuke felt his blood boil at the question, everyone looking at the girl in horror and contempt. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, she was just trying to wrap her head around the scenario, but there was no way! No way! Souji wouldn't do that! If anything, Adachi forced him to go somewhere! Souji was his best friend, he would never...

"It is possible." Now it was their turn to look at Naoto in horror, who was holding her chin in thought, eyes downcast and partially hidden behind the brim of her hat. "When Senpai showed us the first threat, he seemed... distracted. At first, I thought it was just nerves, considering the circumstances, but something was... off."

Kanji stood beside Yosuke, and he could feel how tense the younger teen was as he stared Naoto down. "What're you gettin' at?!"

"I think he had a suspicion about who sent the letter. Adachi-san acted close with the Dojima's, it's quite likely Souji had seen Adachi's writing once or twice. While the letter was stressed to the point of making the penmanship unidentifiable, there must have been some tell. It didn't feel like Souji was concerned with the contents of the letter, but more the fact of who could have sent it."

"Adachi-san did visit them a lot," Yukiko added. "Souji-kun would often tell me about when Adachi-san visited."

"Apparently he's really good at magic tricks," Chie mumbled, the teens slowly falling into silence.

Had Adachi coerced Souji into escaping with him? Yosuke could feel his face flush with anger and confusion, hands curling into fists as he looked around the empty room. Good at magic tricks, huh? He always found vanishing acts overdone.

* * *

**[Quiet]**

The fox greeted him at the shrine. He didn't have to fulfill anymore wishes, but he still liked to visit and pay his respects from time-to-time, especially when he wanted to get away from everything and just... be alone.

The fox affectionately rested it's head on his lap when he found himself crying.

* * *

**[Ruin]**

Souji was still trapped in the interrogation room. He could see the teen's ragtag group getting dragged out of the station, all of them screaming their heads off and trying to resist. Idiots, idiots, idiots! If they got arrested, too, there'd be no hope for Nanako! What were they thinking?!

He caught eyes with the Junes kid, and he tried to indicate somehow, any way, that he was going to "accidentally" let Souji leave. Nanako was never supposed to be a part of this; she was never supposed to get involved. The letters were just to watch the group squirm, he didn't mean for this. He didn't mean for them to be true.

He wasn't sure if the kid got his vague gestures—the distance was great and he was still struggling against the cop pushing him outside. Adachi turned as another co-worker ran up to him, frantically explaining that Dojima sped off in pursuit of the kidnapper.

The office was filled with a mess of people scrambling around. He jumped at the sound of an explosion nearby and bolted out the front door. He could see smoke rising in the night sky. Shit, shit, shit, was that Dojima?! Shit. He was suddenly being ordered into his car. Souji was still captive. The teens were still arguing with the officers.

Shit.

 _Shit_.

* * *

**[Sleep]**

He couldn't sleep. It'd been a week since Souji went into the TV alone and he hadn't stopped him. They couldn't pick up any trace of their friend or Adachi. It was as if they simply... disappeared. What had happened? What went down that night in the TV? Had Adachi murdered Souji? Had Souji went with Adachi willingly? Had Adachi kidnapped him? None of the answers made his heartbeat slow, or calmed the anxiety bubbling in his stomach.

His phone buzzed on his bedside table and he shifted, grabbing it tiredly. It was almost three in the morning, it was probably spam, but he found himself checking out of curiosity anyway. His heart leapt to his throat at the sight of his best friend's name, and he couldn't have opened the message any faster, burning the words into his mind.

" _I'm sorry. It's better this way. Goodbye."_

In an instant he was calling his friend's number, slamming the phone to his ear as he waited. The phone was ringing—it was actually ringing! It wasn't cutting straight to voicemail or a dial tone! It rang three times before the line was cut, and he froze, before trying again. Two rings and then cut off. He tried again. Four rings. Cut off.

"Yosuke, what are you doing?" Teddie grumbled from the couch, rubbing his eyes.

It went straight to voicemail.

* * *

**[Wake]**

Dojima wasn't allowing anybody to visit. He quickly learned Souji had stopped going to school and had barricaded himself in the empty house. Neither of them answered his texts or phone calls. They didn't know, nobody knew, but the guilt tore at him every day.

He'd been called to the scene. Nanako and Namatame, strung on different parts of the telephone pole, dead. Nanako was confirmed dead days before Namatame. Even if the teens had been able to go in the TV after Souji was released, they would have been too late.

He knocked harshly on the front door of the Dojima residence, using the full force of his arm and calling for the teen to answer the door. 'Nanako wouldn't want this' was one of the things he'd said. He thought he heard something break inside the house after the words fell from his lips, and then there was silence.

Maybe he should have tried harder, shouldn't have said that stupid, stupid sentence. He finally got a team to investigate, breaking down the door with an ambulance waiting outside, paramedics following closely behind them as they walked through the house. None of the lights were on, the TV was on the floor, dented in the corner and a hole in the wall. Someone had opened the fridge, commenting that all the food had rotted. He bolted up the stairs, dashing into the teen's room, only to find it empty. He threw open the door to Dojima's room and found the same results. The house was totalled, but it seemed empty.

Then he was called back downstairs and led to Nanako's room.

There was too much blood.

He had to pinch himself.

"I'm sorry..." his voice cracked as he was finally allowed to visit Dojima. He didn't want to tell him, didn't want to say a word. The man just stared at him, and he could watch the last light of life quickly fade out of his eyes.

"I am so,  _so_  sorry, Dojima-san..."


	10. Chapter 10

**[Angel]**

Her hand hovered over his cheek, the woman in white before him blending into the mist of the rain. Her eyes pierced through the veil, staring down into his. He couldn't move—he thought he was missing something. How did he get here? When did he get here? He thought he had been with his friends at Junes... why was he here? There was some purpose for it... he couldn't remember.

The woman before him laughed. It took him a moment before he realized she was hovering off the ground. Her laugh echoed in his ears, a cacophony of lies and a lullaby of wishes. Was he dead? He couldn't remember... why he came here... He had to go home.

She laughed again, her red eyes shattering past her porcelain skin. She started to walk away, figure disappearing into the mist.

“You're just like him.”

* * *

**[Bond]**

Yosuke was watching him from behind one of the racks. He could feel the brunette's stare digging into his back, saw him duck down before he turned to look at the TV. He knew his friend was worried, but he wasn't any good with espionage. He recalled when they had tried to save Kanji by following him around, Yosuke and Chie leading them to hide in obviously plain sight. Some things never changed, he guessed.

Slowly, he dipped his hand into the TV, before throwing himself inside completely. Yosuke was going to be waiting for him when he came back out, he knew that. When he rolled onto the platform of their base in the other world, he slowly looked at the stack of Tvs. He could see the faint outline of Yosuke's silhouette on the other side, and he chewed on his lower lip before eyeing the direction he knew Adachi was in.

He didn't know what was going to happen. Maybe he'd have to punch some sense into the detective, re-enact the scenario he and Yosuke did at the riverbed. Maybe... it would be okay.

* * *

**[Contact]**

He wasn't expecting absolute chaos when he walked to the front of the station, eyeing Souji's group of friends in surprise as they all yelled over each other to the baffled receptionist. He could see Naoto trying to shove her way to the front, no doubt trying to explain the discord rationally. Souji was nowhere to be seen.

He looked over his shoulder as Adachi bumped into him, his teammate lightly clutching his nose as he apologized, before glancing at the frenzy in confusion. With a directional nod of his head, Dojima marched up to the group, about to ask what was wrong before Chie caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye, sobbing hysterically and madly as she ran to stand in front of him.

“He was talking to me—we were texting b-because we w-were waiting for him at J-Junes so we could get ready t-to go to the mall and and and he s-s-said he was gonna be there soon but—but---but--he... he...!” the girl babbled, rubbing her face furiously as she cried.

Quickly glancing at the rest of the teens, they all looked forlorn and tense. Turning his attention back to Chie, he lightly grabbed the girl's arms and brought her hands down, the girl sniffling and hiccuping intensely.

“Calm down, take deep breaths,” he instructed, leading her to sit down at the nearby seats, motioning for the other teens to join. “Tell me what happened, slowly.”

“Perhaps I should talk on Chie-Senpai's behalf,” Naoto stated as she sat next to the distraught girl. He gave her a short nod, the girl taking a short breath before reciting the tale. “We had made plans to go to Okina City, deciding to meet up at Junes before heading out. Souji-Senpai had been running late and Chie-Senpai started texting him about his whereabouts. He said he was on his way, but then Chie got another text not long after...”

Before he could ask, Chie had shoved her phone in his face, text messages sprawled over the small screen. Adachi was leaning over his shoulder as he grabbed the device, scrolling through the messages. They all seemed pretty mandatory, until his heart started racing at the last three Souji sent.

“ _I'm on my way. Sorry, I'll be there in around ten minutes.”_

“ _someones following me”_

“ _h112de”_

Silently, he handed Chie her phone back, digging his out of his pocket and dialing Souji's number as fast as he could manage. He waited, about to breathe a sigh of relief when the call was answered.

“It's your uncle, my dear. Say something.”

“HELP ME!”

And then there was the dial tone.

* * *

**[Destination]**

“So...”

“So.”

“...Now what?”

He stared at Chie blankly. She brought up a good point. They'd been planning this outing for weeks and here they were... with no idea what to do.

“We... could...” he started, looking around at their surroundings. There weren't as many people around as he figured there would be. “We... can see if there's an arcade or something.”

“Ooh! Good idea! If there's a dance machine, I challenge you to a dance off!”

“You know I'd win right?”

“Psh, in your dreams, Hot Shot!” she laughed, lightly slapping him on the shoulder before turning and walking away, only to pause a couple of steps. “I have no idea where anything is.”

“I guess we should find a map first.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

* * *

**[End]**

“You skipped one of the most important tests at your college to come visit me?”

“Why wouldn't I?”

“You just wasted all that time, all that money, to visit me.”

“Adachi-san, it's the last time I can.”

“Doesn't matter. You got your ass in a college and you've gone and fucked it up by missing that test to visit me. You are such a dumbass.”

Past his tears falling down his face, Souji couldn't help but laugh. He could barely see the ex-detective scrunch his face up in confusion past his crying.

“What are you laughing at?”

Souji wiped his face with his sleeve, hiccuping and choking past his quiet laughs and shaking smile. “You... You sound like uncle right now.”

Adachi stiffened, a noise of shock and confusion rising out of his throat. He thought he could see a blush forming on the man's face.

“Well... I hope he reiterates how much of a dumbass you are,” the man finally sighed. “And he better say it every time you talk. Make sure he does. Make Nanako make sure he does. I don't want to spend my afterlife haunting you just to make sure you know how much of a dumbass you are.”

* * *

**[Fear]**

“It's your uncle, my dear. Say something.”

“HELP ME!”

The second the words left his mouth, he watched his assailant end the call and casually toss his phone onto a nearby table. It started ringing immediately after, but the man paid it no attention, instead brandishing a knife from a strap around his waist. Souji felt his chest tighten, squirming in the chair, trying to loosen the ropes burning into his skin.

“Stop. You're just going to hurt yourself,” he heard the man scold, voice muffled behind the mask he was wearing, eyes gleaming in the dimly lit room.

He continued to rock back and forth, as if trying to force the knots open, only stopping in shock when he was kicked sharply, followed by a harsh slap to his face. The stinging sensation seemed to crawl all over his body, heart pounding in his chest as his lip quivered in quiet whimpers.

“Don't make me do that again, my dear.” A chill shot up his spine at the pet name, the man cupping his chin in his hand and forcing him to look in his direction. “We're going to have a good time, you'll see.”

He could hear his phone ringing again, the light illuminating the small corner of the room. He didn't know where he was. He remembered he was on his way to Junes, walking along the floodplain when he realized he was being followed... and then something covered his mouth and he lost consciousness. Surely somebody must have seen him get taken away, right? He couldn't... That couldn't... It couldn't have gone unnoticed, right?

“Who...” he swallowed, trying to see a face behind the mask. “Who are you?”

The man shook his head, Souji yelping when he jammed the knife into the back of the chair next to his head. “Oh, my dear, you don't know anything about me... but I know everything about you. We're going to have so much fun, you and I.”

* * *

**[Grand]**

“Whoa! They weren't kidding! This thing is jam-packed with meat, dude!” Yosuke hollered in surprise as they were each brought a dish of Aiya's Mega Beef Bowl. “I can barely lift the thing!”

Souji looked to Chie at his side, drooling at the sight in front of her, eyes lit up like fireworks. Yukiko mumbled something from where she sat, and he could hear the others mumbling or hollering in doubt or excitement. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his own bowl in front of him. He could see nothing but meat, and under that was going to be more meat, and under that, even more.

This was going to be one of their biggest challenges yet.

* * *

**[Hollow]**

“Coward.”

He looked at himself in the mirror, frown encompassing his face, dark bags under his eyes popping out against his pale skin. He thought he saw his eyes change to yellow for a moment. Seething, he pushed away from the sink and stormed out of the bathroom, scratching his head furiously.

“Coward, coward, coward, coward,” he mumbled. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.”

He stormed into the kitchen and threw open the fridge, ripping a can of beer from a six pack and chugging the drink until he found it hard to breathe. Slamming it down on the counter, he coughed and wheezed, lowering his head and glaring at the floor.

He killed a woman.

He killed a teenage girl.

He remembered these things—he remembered all of it, the feeling of their skin as he shoved his hand over their mouths, the anger that bubbled inside of him when they rejected his advances, the rush of power he felt after pushing them through the TVs. At the same time, he remembered not feeling like himself, like someone was controlling his actions, like he was some kind of puppet.

He crumpled to the floor after he found himself vomiting on the counter, breathing heavily as he looked up blankly to the ceiling.

Stupid.

* * *

**[Intelligence]**

Everyone was distracted with the book, crowding around as Naoto read it's contents. Adachi caught his eye for a moment, before the man was back to examining over Dojima. Slowly, Souji turned to look at the truck, the giant TV held in place by locks and ropes mocking him, taunting him.

Nanako was in there with the killer.

If he went in alone, it would be suicide.

He stared at the group, caught a glimpse of his uncle on the ground, bleeding and muttering. He said Nanako's name.

He slipped into the truck and jumped into the TV without a second thought.

* * *

**[Jeopardize]**

“You didn't give them the evidence?!”

“W-Well with you getting in the accident and with everything that happened it—it slipped my mind, I—”

“You idiot!” Adachi flinched as Dojima sat up, before cringing in pain, holding his hand to the bandages on his head. “That's vital fucking information! Wh—”

“Forgive me for worrying about my best friend!” he hollered back, Dojima paling and blinking slowly in shock. “You nearly got yourself KILLED, Dojima-san! And then what?! What happens after that?!”

“I—”

“What was I supposed to do?! You ran out looking ready to murder somebody yourself! Too much happened at once and you expected me to just leave you on the fucking road after arriving at the scene to give them one FUCKING sheet of paper?!”

“It's impor—”

“Of COURSE it's important, but it's at the station, it's not going ANYWHERE.” He sank into his chair, hovering his hands over his face. “You almost got yourself killed.”

“I... I—”

“What's more important to you, Dojima-san? Your life, Nanako's life, or a piece of evidence?”

* * *

**[Kill]**

He didn't know how many days he'd been trapped, but he managed to escape. He didn't know the layout of where he was, but he managed to get out of that tiny, cramped room. The man was following him fast, yelling at him to come back, saying that there were things he shouldn't see yet.

He ignored him and kept his legs moving, throwing open a door he thought was going to lead him outside. He froze in horror. It was the living room, he assumed, the windows covered by curtains. There were boys his age sitting on some chairs. They were pale. There were gashes across their necks, blood staining their clothes. They were handcuffed to the seats.

He couldn't move, his entire body felt numb, unable to process anything but the scene before him. Oh god, oh god, he was going to die. The man was going to keep having his way with him and he was going to die. Oh god, no no no.

“This is exactly what I didn't want you to see, my dear,” the man cooed, forcefully holding the teen in a crushing hug. “You don't understand yet. If it makes you feel better, I love you more than those two. They were fleeting things. Come, now, I'll help you understand, my darling.”

He found himself unable to do anything but scream and cry as he was dragged back to the room he managed to escape from.

* * *

**[Letter]**

Souji blinked as a letter fell out of his shoebox, Yosuke and Chie gasping in unison before snickering behind their hands. Slowly, Souji picked up the letter. It was in an envelope and everything. There was no writing on it, so he tore it open slowly, his friends peering over his shoulder as he did so.

“Man, open it faster, I wanna see who's got a crush on you, lover boy,” Yosuke snickered, lightly shaking his shoulder.

“Yeah, the suspense is killing me!” Chie agreed, lightly bouncing on her feet. “Hurry it up! C'mon, let's see!”

Rolling his eyes, Souji ripped the envelope open and took out the letter, unfolding it. There was a pause as the three of them read the contents.

“ _i would make out with your shadow being cast on a brick wall_ ”

Without a word, he shoved the paper into Yosuke's hands and walked away.

* * *

**[Maybe]**

“Souji... where is he...?” the teens looked at Dojima, the man on the ground, covered in Adachi's jacket as the younger detective held a cloth to the wound on his head.

Yosuke looked over his shoulder where his best friend had been standing. He was nowhere in sight. He looked to the others, their faces quickly cornered in concern and worry. The quickly fanned out, calling for the teen while Yosuke dug out his cell phone, calling him. It went straight to voice mail.

He found himself turning to the truck, staring at the TV that sat locked in the back by ropes. He felt Chie stand to his side, voice shaking as it came out in a whisper.

“You don't think... he...?”

“...Maybe...” he muttered back, clutching his phone tightly in his hand. “...I hope not.”

* * *

**[Quiet]**

It felt like years. He couldn't remember what the sun felt like on his skin, what a proper meal was anymore, what his friends looked or even sounded like. He didn't say anything anymore, what was the point? The man deflected his questions, slapped him when he said something wrong, so, he said nothing.

The door opened, Souji not even mustering the energy to look up. He didn't care anymore. What was the point?

“Darling, don't look so sad,” the man hummed, his aura filling the room and making his skin crawl. He didn't resist when the man cupped his face and made him look at him, Souji surprised to see the man outside of his mask. He didn't know him. He'd never seen this man before in his life. “I think you finally understand, my dear. Everything I did was for you.”

He had no idea what the man was talking about, bile rising in his throat as the man stroked his cheek. The kidnapper continued to hum in purity, playing with his hair, running his hands down his chest. He wanted to scream, to tell him to stop, to try to kick and flail and get loose from the bonds keeping him on the chair. He bit his tongue instead.

“You're so perfect, darling,” the man purred, Souji doing his best not to break down when the man kissed his forehead. He watched as the stranger pulled something out of his pocket, expecting a knife, expecting it to dig into his skin, drag along his arms and nick into his sides like the man made it do, only to stare in shock as he recognized his phone.

“Let's give your uncle one last phone call, hm? I bet I've worried him so. You'll tell him how happy you are here, right, my dear?” the man didn't let him respond, leafing through the contacts until he found the right one, holding the phone in the air as he put it on speaker mode. It rang twice before it was picked up.

“Dojima speaking. It's three in the morning, this better be important.” Souji held his breath at his uncle's tired greeting. He hadn't checked to see who was calling. It was three in the morning? Oh god.

“Ah, sorry to disturb you, Ryo-chan.”

“Ryo-ch—who the hell is this?”

“I was just here with my love, and we figured it best to update you. He's happy here, isn't that right, darling?”

“Who the h—”

“Uncle—” he squeaked out, lip trembling.

“Souji? Souji, oh my god, Souji—” he could hear fear and elation mixed in with his uncle's voice. His chest tightened, the sound of his uncle's voice ringing strong in his ears. He couldn't remember what he looked like. He wanted to remember what he looked like.

“As you can hear, Ryo-chan, my darling's perfectly happy where he is. I'm sorry if we've worried you. I just needed him to understand.”

“You son of a bitch, when I find you—”

“Oh, no need for such vulgar language,” the man sighed, shaking his head lightly. “Anyway, that's all we had to say on the matter. I won't ph—”

“Wait!” Souji hollered, the man quickly casting him a glance of confusion and anger. His heart was racing, tears pouring down his face. He had to stay on the line for as long as possible. The man was going to kill him, he knew he was, oh god, he didn't want to die. He had to stay on the line. “Nanako! Nanako, I have to... I have to tell... Nanako.”

“Ah, I see. Yes, that would be good to inform her, wouldn't it? Ryo-chan, be a dear and wake up Nana-chan, would you?”

There was silence on the other end, Souji shivering in fear until he heard his uncle let out a heavy breath.

“Yeah... Yeah, I'll... I'll do that.” There was another pause. “Just... give me a moment she's... She's sleeping over at a friend's house.”

It was a lie.

“Oh, well that's no good. Souji and I have to get ready for the ceremony. How long will you be, Ryo-chan?”

“H-How about you g-go and get... prepared... d-darling...?” his voice cracked and caved, the bile heavy in his throat and his stomach twisting in tight knots. The man's eyes lit up at the pet name, Souji cringing as the man kissed him, trying not to vomit when the man pulled away to continue. “I-I-I can stay with U-Uncle until he g-gets to Nanako a...and I can t-tell them how... happy... I am... A-And how y-you've m-made me happy...”

The man was silent, his mouth pursed into a smile as he looked around in contemplation.

“Nanako would want to hear all about it,” he heard Dojima insist on the phone.

The man continued to be silent, until he rose to his feet and slapped the teen. Souji screamed, the force of the smack hard enough to send him and the chair toppling onto the floor. He was seeing stars.

“Do you think I'm an idiot?!” the man screamed, the phone thrown onto the floor in front of his face. He could only watch as the man stomped on it repeatedly. All he could hear was his heartbeat.

* * *

**[Repeat]**

“Teddie!”

The blonde perked up at Souji calling his name, stopping mid-bite of his popsicle as he looked to the teen in delight. Souji stood before him, shirt unbuttoned and popsicle in hand. Yosuke and Kanji looked on in confusion as they exited the store.

“It's beary hot today, isn't it?!” Souji beamed, triumphantly sticking the popsicle into his mouth.

“It's beary, beary hot!” Teddie beamed back, triumphantly placing his hands on his hips.

Yosuke pinched the bridge of his nose as the two went back and forth, adding an extra “beary” every time they spoke.

* * *

**[Sorry]**

“Tomoe!”

Souji watched the Persona streak by, kicking the Shadow he'd been fighting far off into the distance. Clutching his sides in agony, Souji looked over his shoulder as his friends ran towards him before he collapsed to the ground in a heap. He was so close to Nanako. He had to save her. He had to get there.

“Dude, what the hell?!” Yosuke was screaming at him, rolling him onto his back. He whimpered in pain—everything hurt. They were all yelling at him. It hurt so much.

He could see Konohana-Sakuya, Yukiko gently blowing her fan to cool him off as the Persona used its healing spells.

“You owe us an apology, you jerk!” Chie was yelling, wiping tears off her face as she kneeled next to him. “Don't do that again!”

“I don't think my healing spells are working.” He heard Yukiko mutter, his vision starting to blur considerably. Teddie was standing directly over him.

“He pushed himself too hard! We have to leave right away, or Sensei's going to—”

“Nanako...” he forced himself to say, struggling to push himself onto his elbows. He couldn't do it. He had to save her. This was his fault. He had to save her. “Nana... ko...”

“Dude, hey, hang on! We'll get her back, okay?! Just—”

Everything faded white.

* * *

**[Try]**

“Do you think I'm an idiot?!”

The clatter he heard made his heart jump into his chest. He thought that was it, he thought it was done. He thought Souji's phone had been destroyed until he realized he could still hear them. It was distorted and quiet, but he could still hear him. The rest of the night was a blur in his panic, and he only registered what was happening when Adachi shook his shoulder.

They managed to track the signal. They made a silent approach. A house secluded from the rest of Inaba, thirty minutes out. He didn't remember the drive. He guessed it was a good thing he wasn't behind the wheel. Taking a heavy breath, they silently got out of the vehicle, the rest of the officers following suit, guns held at their sides as they moved close to the house. The curtains were drawn, the wood cracking and breaking all along the house. It was old and falling apart.

There was a crash from the inside, Dojima kicking down the door before anybody could stop him. He ran inside, gagging at the smell. His attention was immediately drawn to Souji on the floor, glass shards all around him, bleeding from his head. He'd been thrown into the curio cabinet. A man was hovering over the teen, completely oblivious at the break in.

“You stupid whore! I loved you more than them!” he was screeching. Dojima noticed a knife jammed into his stomach.

“Put your hands in the air and step away from the boy!” He jumped at Adachi barking orders next to him, the younger detective giving him a harsh stare before focusing his attention back on the kidnapper. “We have the building surrounded!”

The man looked at them. Even from their distance, Dojima could see that his eyes were dilated. He wasn't going to cooperate.

“Hands in the air! Now!” Adachi repeated, taking a small step forward, Dojima slowly moving to the left, trying to keep the man boxed in between his furniture.

“We were happy!”

And then it was like he was moving in slow motion. The man ripped the knife out of his stomach and had started to lunge at Souji. He was aiming his gun and pulling the trigger without a second thought, the knife flying as the man was sent reeling in pain. Next thing he knew, he was pinning the man to the ground, shoving his face into the filth-ridden carpet as he handcuffed him. Adachi was close-by, carefully trying to examine Souji's well-being.

He heard more of his co-workers run into the building, could hear them gagging at the smell. He quickly looked around, spotting the corpses of two teenage boys on chairs nearby, handcuffs cutting through rotting skin, giant gashes from their necks.

Paramedics were flooding into the room, and he had to help them strap the struggling culprit to a stretcher. He followed them out, climbing into the back of one of the ambulances as they carried Souji away. There was a shard of glass embedded into his skull. They couldn't remove it until they got to the hospital. They'd have to take x-rays. There was a chance, depending on how deep it was, that removing it would kill him.

All he could do was hold onto his nephew's hand.

* * *

**[Whisper]**

“Dad... Dad...!”

Dojima murmured as he felt hands shoving his arm. Slowly opening his eyes, he glanced to Nanako, who continued to push on his arm even as he woke up from his nap.

“I think he's waking up!”

Adrenaline snapped into his system and he jumped out of his chair, Nanako clutching onto his wrist as he quickly headed over to the hospital bed. Souji's eyes were twitching, until they slowly fluttered open. He looked around hesitantly, staring in a daze before he focused on them.

“I wasn't... happy...” Souji mumbled, his eyes slowly closing again. “...wasn't... happy...”

Just as quick as it happened, he'd fallen back asleep.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**[Airtight]**

"I'm starting to regret this decision."

"Too late, partner, you're in it for the long haul!"

"Sensei, please be careful not to ruin my beautiful fur!"

He could feel a small bead of sweat roll down his brow in nervousness and humiliation as his friends all crowded around from where he was crouching into Teddie's empty bear form. He wasn't sure how he managed to fit his feet into the tiny leg-stumps, but it wasn't comfortable in the slightest. With a defeated nod of his head, Yosuke and Kanji quickly plopped the head on top, Souji scrunching up even tighter into an uncomfortable ball as it pressed down on him. The light slowly faded as he heard them zip up the costume, until the eyes seemed to open up. He was surprised how clearly he could see out of it.

It... was warm. He could already feel the heat radiating off of his skin, more sweat starting to form on his brow. He tried to maneuver his arms into the sleeves, but found himself too cramped up to do anything. How did Teddie manage to fit his human body in here? Could he just... summon the body at will? Okay, that was kind of a creepy thought.

He tried to even shuffle his feet, only to find himself toppling backwards and starting to roll. Doing this on the Samegawa Floodplain wasn't the greatest idea. He could hear his friends yelling and calling after him, his head and stomach lurching as he rolled at high speeds until he stopped with the sound of a splash. He could feel water slowly starting to soak through the fur, could hear Teddie crying in utmost distress, and could feel the slight bob as he was slowly drifting downstream.

The bobbing didn't last long, he could hear Yosuke, Kanji, and Chie yelling and cursing as they lifted him up and started dragging him back to shore. He was propped up against something and the zipper quickly unzipped, the head popping off and his friends staring at him in concern. The cool air hit him hard, his body unsure if it was welcoming or not from the cold water still soaking through his clothes, from the hot sweat beading down his face.

"Dude, are you okay?!" Yosuke bellowed, he and Kanji picking him up by his arms from where he was still crouched and lifting him out of the suit.

Souji slowly lifted a finger before hesitantly laying down on the rocks, breathing deeply as he tried to quell the headrush and nausea leaping in his stomach. It was very uncomfortable, but it was better than sitting in that suit.

"Sorry about your fur, Teddie..."

* * *

**[Bark]**

"A werewolf? Seriously, dad, this was the best you could get me?" Yosuke grumbled, throwing the paws of the costume onto a nearby table in order to get a better grip on the decorations he'd yet to put up.

"Didn't you willingly put on the whiskers and paint your nose?" Souji commented from the side, slightly jumping as his cape caught onto a chair and sent it to the floor.

"N-No! That was my mom's forceful suggestion!"

"Sure."

* * *

**[Comfort]**

"Here, Souji, your own personal mug to match Nanako's and mine."

Souji stared as his uncle passed him the steaming mug of coffee. His knuckles brushed against the warm mug as he grabbed onto the handle, a smile drifting onto his face.

"...Souji, are you crying? Hey now, no need to get upset."

* * *

**[Destroy]**

"He was the only one that could have pushed people in!" He froze. That's not what he'd meant to say. That came out wrong. He was tired, cranky at being accused—they were right, of course, but did they have to do it now? Here?!

Hesitantly, he looked over his shoulder, beads of sweat rolling down his brow at the stone-cold glare Dojima was sending him.

"'Pushed people in'?" Dojima seethed, taking a step forward, fury evident in every fibre of his being. "What do you know, Adachi?!"

"I—I—" he stammered, at a loss for words. He was so tired, so... so fucking infuriated! He quickly turned to look at the group of teens in front of him, staring him down just like Dojima. There, front-and-center, was his teammate's nephew, expression absolutely neutral despite the circumstances. It made him  _sick._

"Adachi! Do you know something I don't?!"

He found himself pushing through the group of teens and running down the hall, heart beating loudly in his chest as he bolted through the hospital. He could hear Dojima call for him again. It was filled with absolute, unbridled rage. Throwing himself into Namatame's former room and jumping into the TV without a second thought at the footsteps he could hear following him, Adachi couldn't help but laugh.

He didn't want to admit he was laughing to avoid the tears.

* * *

**[Endless]**

It felt never-ending. Every time they found a new beanstalk to climb, they felt longer and longer. The higher up they got, the harder it was to see, more clouds and foliage blooming in breathtaking sights. Rise was having troubles tracking down Nanako. Something was interfering.

His hands gripped tightly onto the beanstalk, hands running raw and starting to crack, blood seeping from the wounds. He wasn't giving in. Not here. He didn't care how long he climbed, he was saving his little sister.

* * *

**[Feign]**

It was a quiet night—at least, it was supposed to be. It didn't quite feel like it as tension cut through the air.

"Kidnapping two teens... We're dealing with some sick freaks, huh, Dojima-san?" Adachi commented from the passenger seat, lightly fidgeting as he observed the surroundings to the best of his mobility. "It's a good thing they didn't notice the person who called it in!"

Dojima grunted in response, keeping his eyes sharp on the road. He and Adachi were just about to finish the day and head home when they got the call; the woman from Tatsumi Textiles was walking back home from Junes when she heard a struggle and witnessed two teenage boys getting subdued and placed in the trunk of a car. She couldn't catch any significant features of the suspects, but could at least give a description of the car.

Adachi hummed at his side, continuing to spit out whatever conversation went through his head. "What do you think they want the kids for?"

"A pretty penny for ransom, I'd assume," he grumbled, squinting in distaste as he leaned his chin against his palm.

They'd been sitting out there for at least an hour with no signs of life. They had men stationed all around the town, lying in wait, two cars silently roaming the streets. There were seldom updates from the radio as time ticked on, Adachi commenting that maybe they had escaped Inaba, or had already arrived at their base of operations before the cops had been sent out. The suspects had no reason to hurry, assuming they really didn't see the woman catch them in the act; they probably thought they were home free.

Suddenly, the radio sparked to life. He could hear sirens echoing in the background behind his co-worker's harried voice.

"Dojima-san, we're headed your way!"

He could feel Adachi quickly tense at his side while he answered the call and started up the car. He could hear the sirens in the distance, and it didn't take long before his sirens were flicked on, car roaring down the road behind the suspects. His hands were wrapped tight around the steering wheel as the speeds kept climbing, a brief glance telling him they were going 110mph. In such a small town, going that fast wasn't going to end well for anybody. He eased up just a bit, enough to stay on their tail and keep them in sight.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Adachi leaning forward, as if trying to see something on the car before he started shouting hesitant orders and going-ons into the radio.

It ended just as fast as it had started—a corner appeared, the culprits unable to turn or stop in time. The vehicle slammed sideways into the barricade, flipping over the concrete with shrapnel and glass flying to and fro. Stopping short of the barricade himself, Dojima leapt from the car while Adachi quickly updated the others over the radio, Dojima's hand ready on his gun as he sprinted to the crash. Adachi was quick to his side, the two watching as the suspects scrambled out of their overturned vehicle and ran. They didn't get far, the detectives catching up fast and driving them to the floor. Dojima had just finished placing the cuffs on the man he caught when he heard Adachi let out a yelp of pain, lightly clutching his nose with one hand as his suspect hit him with his elbow.

Eventually, they got both of the suspects handcuffed and on their feet, the men yelling and throwing blame at each other no matter how many times Dojima told them to shut up. Arriving back to the scene, he quickly handed the kidnappers into the custody of his co-workers, feeling a headache coming on as he stormed back to the overturned car. Someone had already turned the vehicle off and had grabbed the keys, hesitant on how to go about opening the trunk. The idea of flipping the car upright was tossed around, only to be dismissed.

It was supposed to be a quiet night, sirens quickly drowning out his thoughts. Even his phone was against the silence, Dojima quickly turning away and walking to the side as he looked at the caller ID. It was from home, it was late, it had to be important.

"Hello?"

"Dad?" Nanako's fatigued voice cracked through the line with a yawn. "I woke up to go to the bathroom and Big Bro's shoes aren't at the door. I tried phoning him but his phone didn't even ring."

"Dojima-san!" He turned at Adachi's sudden cry of his name, phone still attached to his ear. His eyes widened, the team having opened the trunk while he was on the phone. On the ground, bound by duct tape, were the kidnapped teenagers. One of them was his nephew, and the other was his nephew's best friend.

"Dad?"

"It's okay, Nanako. Everything's going to be okay."

* * *

**[Grape]**

Taking a bite at Chie's focused stare, Souji faltered as the food hit his tongue, Yosuke and Kanji staring at him with empathy and fear. Slowly, Souji dragged the food off the fork and started to chew, an eyebrow raising in confusion as his face contorted in kind, and he couldn't tell if Chie's scowl was darkening or softening. After a long, long moment, he finally swallowed the bite, smacking his lips hesitantly as his face still stretched in uncertainty.

"W-Well?" Yosuke chimed in from his side, waver to his voice. "How was it?"

Souji pondered, corner of his mouth twitching up as he thought. "It was... grapey."

There was a collective silence.

"...Grapey?" Chie whispered, staring down at her omelette in confusion. "No way..."

"Grapey?" Kanji parroted, grabbing his fork and hesitantly grabbing a curious forkful, shoving it into his mouth. His face dropped in surprise a couple of bites in, swallowing harshly as he looked to Souji in shock. "Holy shit, it does! It totally does taste like grapes!"

"No way! You two are lying!" the girl huffed, grabbing her own fork and taking a giant bite out of her home-made meal. Immediately, her face of determination fell into one of defeat.

* * *

**[Help]**

"...and then, when she crept into the hallway, there was—"

"No no no no! That's enough! No moooore!" Chie cried, hugging onto Naoto for dear life as Yukiko tilted her head slightly.

"But I'm just getting to the good part!"

"I-I have to agree with Chie-Senpai!" Naoto squeaked, nodding her head urgently.

Yosuke snickered at their side, "Aw, c'mon, get in the spirit, you two!"

"What spirit?!" Chie hollered, glaring daggers. "Stupid October is over! No more scary stories!"

"I started the story before midnight," Yukiko mentioned calmly.

"W-Who cares?!" Chie clutched onto Naoto even tighter.

"Oh, come on, you two!" Rise scoffed. "I wanna hear the rest!"

"Yeah, c'mon, Yukiko-Senpai!" Kanji encouraged, him and Rise scooting closer to the second-year with enamoured gazes.

"Don't worry, girls, if you get scared, Teddie is here f—"

"No."

"Nice try, Ted," Yosuke rolled his eyes lightly before he squinted in sudden realization, slowly getting to his feet as he looked around. "Hey, did anybody see where Souji went?"

Yukiko paused mid-sentence, "...Didn't he say he was going to the bathroom? He's been in there for quite awhile."

"No, wait, didn't he come back from the bathroom?" Kanji mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "I swear I saw the dude come back. Wasn't he sittin' next to you, Teddie?"

"Huh! Yeah, Sensei's been right next to me the whole time, right, Sense—" The blonde turned, freezing as he was met with nothing but the wall. "...Sensei?"

Chie and Naoto huddled even closer together, the couch they were sitting on trembling along with their shivering forms. The rest of the teens slowly rose from their seats and started creeping around the room, looking behind furniture and calling for their friend. Yosuke ventured into the kitchen, chill running down his spine as the light was turned off. Taking a quick look around into the hallways, the only light on in his house was the lamp in the living room where everyone else was seated.

"Do you think the curse got him?"

Jumping with a yelp, Yosuke crashed to the floor at Yukiko's sudden voice whispered behind him. He stared at her incredulously, yelling as he got back to his feet. "My house is not cursed, Yukiko! He's just pulling some stupid prank on us or something! C'mon, man, it's not funny! You're gonna make Chie and Naoto cry!"

"WE'RE NOT CRYING!"

"I SAID HE WAS  _GOING_  TO MAKE YOU, NOT THAT YOU WERE!"

"W-WELL W-W-WE'RE NOT!"

Grumbling to himself, Yosuke scratched the side of his head before pushing past Yukiko to head back into the living room. The girls were close to tears, either way. Deciding not to mention it, he picked up his phone off the table and dialed Souji's number, biting his cheek and drumming his fingers against his thigh as it rang.

"Yosuke? What's up?" Souji answered, sounding perplexed.

"Dude, where the hell did you go?!" Yosuke berated. "You just... vanished, man!"

"...I'm... still in the bathroom?"

"...B—"

"...I can't get my contacts out."

"B-But didn't you come back? We... we saw you come back!"

"I haven't left... Is that why you were calling for me?"

"Dude, if you heard us, why didn't you answer?! You were freaking us out!"

"I thought you were just screaming at me to get Yukiko to stop scaring Chie and Naoto..." there was a slight pause, the sound of a door opening and Yosuke turning to look behind him at Souji standing in the living room entryway, flipping his phone shut.

"B-But if you were in the bathroom the whole time, Sensei..." Teddie mumbled, glancing from Souji to the spot where he'd been sitting before. "W-Who was sitting next to me?"

Souji merely shrugged, looking as if he was going to rub his eye before deciding against it. "I need to get home. All my contact stuff is there."

"You need us to walk you home, Senpai?"

"I already texted my uncle. He's going to pick me up—" Souji turned as they heard a vehicle pull up to the house, his phone buzzing with a notification seconds later. "—right now. I'll see you guys later."

Before anybody could say a word, Souji had grabbed his bag off the floor and was darting to the front door. After the door clicked shut and the lights of Dojima's SUV drove off, the teens all clambered back into their seats hesitantly, Teddie changing spots.

"We... saw him there, right?" Kanji mumbled. "Cuz he was sittin' next to Yosuke before goin' to the bathroom."

"W-We just imagined it!" Chie stuttered, laughing hesitantly. "It's late and we're all tired! Haha... ha..."

"But all of us? Seeing him sitting in the same spot at the same time?" Rise questioned, brows furrowed in worry and fear.

"It's just like this story that—"

"No, Yukiko! No more stories!"

There was a moment of silence, Yukiko pouting as the teens all sat in their confusion. Then, there was a quiet laughter from where Teddie had sat before.

"I wanna hear the story."

It sounded like Souji, but it echoed throughout the room. Their screams quickly overpowered it, the teens rushing outside and slamming the door shut.

* * *

**[Interesting]**

Nanako wasn't quite sure what happened, but she was now stuck watching Adachi and Souji try to out-do each other with their magic tricks. It was fun!

"Adachi-san, give me your shoe!"

"Wh-What? No!"

"I need it for my trick!"

"W—Souji-kun, wh-what are you doing?! Hey! Let go! Souji-kun, use your own shoe! Let go!"

* * *

**[Justice]**

"Adachi-san, I'm taking you home." Souji stood over him, coughing harshly into his sleeve and breathing heavily. Souji set down a mug and Adachi recognized it as his, a replica fabricated by this world, but his all the same. The one that Dojima went out and bought him specially, the one that matched the rest of the small family's when he visited.

His head slumped back to the floor, avoiding any chance to look at the teen before him. He found himself laughing, it was tired and it hurt. He realized it didn't cover up his tears this time.

"You're so stupid..." he muttered. "What will Dojima-san think of you now?"

"...Are you talking to me, or yourself, Adachi-san?"

He froze, breath catching in his throat. His mind went empty with the fatigue of everything that had just transpired. The world would do with him as it pleased. He didn't want to fight back anymore.

"Let's go home, Adachi-san."

* * *

**[Lost]**

He thought he would have figured out the locations by now, having been here for a couple of weeks already, but he was absolutely, completely confused of his whereabouts. He thought about phoning his uncle, but he didn't want to bother him at work. He thought about phoning his cousin, but he didn't want to interrupt her from her TV shows. He thought about phoning Yosuke, but he remembered that he was working a shift at Junes after school until closing.

He looked up from his phone and pouted at nothing, staring into the abyss of the stretching scenery before him.

"You're Dojima-san's nephew, right?"

Jumping, Souji whipped his head to look at the person walking close to him. He'd met him once before, briefly, his uncle's partner at work, right?

"Souji." he nodded dimly, squinting lightly. "...Are... you working?"

The man smiled, a giant, goofy grin plastered across his face, mischievous light glinting in his eye. "I could be," he laughed, scratching the nape of his neck. "Name's Adachi, in case you forgot. You look a bit lost there, Souji-kun."

"Um... yeah..." he frowned and glared back at his phone. "I decided to try to see if I knew the layout of this town yet and... well... I have no idea where I am."

He faltered, tensing lightly as Adachi laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't fret about it, kid! I've been here for almost two months and I still get confused, and it's my job to know where everything is!"

"...Isn't that a bad thing?"

Adachi's face fell into a stone-cold smile of sudden recognition, before he slowly spoke out, "It could be."

* * *

**[Memory]**

"You said you heard me laugh...  _after_  I left your house?"

"Yes!"

Souji squinted in disbelief, taking a long, loud drink of his soda as he peered at all of his friends, who were looking at him expectantly. "...What do you want me to say?"

"That you planted a radio or something in Yosuke's floorboard!" Chie hollered, rising to her feet. "O-O-Or just behind the couch! Something!"

Souji took another long sip of his drink, staring at Chie harshly until he had to slide his normal glasses back up his nose. "That would be lying."

"B-B-B-But—"

"Are you guys sure you weren't just tired? I don't know what you're talking about." He shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "You all saw me leave the house. When would I have been able to hide something?"

"When you sat next to me after coming back from the bathroom, Sensei!" Teddie chimed in, glaring at their leader.

"Except for the fact that I never left the bathroom," Souji noted, tapping the brim of his glasses. "Remember? My contacts had dried. I was trying to get them out for at least fifteen minutes before Yosuke called me."

The group dissipated into silence, quiet murmurs of hesitance and confusion filtering out of everybody but Souji, who continued to absentmindedly drink his beverage without a care. Yukiko's brow was furrowed, a light hum from the back of her throat as she rested a finger to her chin in thought. Souji stared at her curiously, watching as she perked up.

"There's a ghost that steals the likeness of people when they stand in front of mirrors for too long and—"

Chie screeched and pulled her jacket up to cover her ears. "NO! No ghosts! W-W-We all just had the same weird imaginary memory thingy! No ghosts!"

Souji couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

**[Nasty]**

"Here, give mine a try."

Souji grimaced as Yukiko pushed her meal to the center of the table. So, that was the one that was covering the house in a horrible stench. He'd have to buy a bunch of air fresheners later, and apologize deeply to his uncle.

At her insistent stare, Souji slowly grabbed his fork, hovering it over the horribly discoloured and oozing omelette. He thought he could hear demons screeching as he cut a piece off. He could feel Yosuke's and Kanji's intense stares, watching carefully as he slowly brought the bite up to his mouth. Souji gave Yukiko another quick glance, the girl practically glaring at him, until he shoved the food into his mouth.

He didn't remember anything after that.

* * *

**[Orange]**

"Souji-kun, why are you staring at me like that?" Adachi questioned as the teen gawked at him upon walking into the living room. There was a pause before he remembered he was wearing his glasses. "Oh, these? Yeah, I guess they make me look smart, huh? ...Smarter! Smarter."

Without a word, the teen wandered up the stairs to his room, Adachi quickly glancing to Dojima who shrugged in response, the two quickly turning their attention back to the TV. A few minutes passed until they heard heavy steps skipping downstairs, Souji dashing into the room, glasses on his face and a basket of oranges slammed on the floor. Without a word, he started piling oranges on Adachi's lap.

"Souji, what are you doing?" Dojima asked incredulously, an entertained smirk on his face.

"We are eating oranges until our eyesight is 20/20!" Souji yelled enthusiastically, continuing to place oranges onto Adachi's lap.

The man stared incredulously, unable to decide if he tried to keep the fruits scooped on his legs or to just let them fall. "S-Souji-kun, that's not how that works—"

"We. Are. Eating. Oranges. Adachi. San."

"Y-Yes, sir..."

* * *

**[Quiet]**

He expected it to be loud when he got back to the city. Outside, yes, it was always busy, always crowded, always loud, but when he went inside, it was nothing but silence. His parents were never home anymore. Sometimes he'd wake up to them coming home early in the morning, and then they'd sleep all day and leave without saying a word to him.

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel the same loneliness that he did when he lived alone in Inaba in December.

* * *

**[Wanted]**

"Augh, what's that smell?" Dojima grimaced as he entered the house, Nanako recoiling and pulling the collar of her dress up to cover her nose. Closing the door and taking a few steps inside, the detective paused at the sight of his nephew on the ground, pale and unconscious, the rest of the teens visibly shaken and frozen at the sight of him.

"D-D-D-D-Dojima-san, s-s-sir—" Yosuke stuttered as the man quickly walked over, Nanako right at his heels.

"What happened?" he asked sternly, checking his nephew's vitals.

"He tried Yukiko's omelette and just passed right out, man!" Kanji hollered, jumping to his feet.

Slowly, Dojima turned to look at the accused, the girl tense and on the verge of tears. Then, he saw the omelettes on the table. He assumed the horrible discoloured, oozing one in the center was hers. He sighed heavily, taking out his phone to call for poison control.

This was going to be a long day.


End file.
